Payback's a Witch
by ShunKickShunKers
Summary: "It wasn't easy to trace you…you never told us 'Sarah Bailey' wasn't your real name." "And that was none of your business" Lisbon replied coldly. "What do you want?" Xover Craft. will have some Jisbon
1. Chapter 1

**I know. I'm starting a new fic while I still haven't ended the others (and I'm so late with a few…I'll try to catch up –I'm in good mood for writing :D)This is some project I had on my mind for a while…hope you'll like it :3 (still won't blame you if you don't xD)**

**I have absolutely NO knowledge in witchcraft or Wicca, so if I did something wrong, please forgive me =.="**

**Thanks to my half-beta for checking this :D**

**Disclaimer: uh…if I owned this, you'd know by now :P **

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**Payback's a Witch**

**1**

_Sarah pushed the door of the occult shop__ open and took a few steps inside. Contrary to what she thought, Lirio wasn't in the main room like usual. Perhaps she was upstairs?_

"_Lirio?" she called out tentatively. _

"_Over here child" the woman's calm voice answered from behind the dark curtain. The teenager hurried to join her and pushed the heavy drapes aside. Lirio was in front of the altar, lightened with a hundred candles, kneeling in the middle of the pentacle drawn on the ground. Sarah stepped carefully in the room and drew the curtain closed. _

"_I was expecting you my dear" the woman said gently, not raising her head. "I understand you are leaving us?" _

_Sarah nodded uneasily. _

"_Yeah… my father is going back to San Francisco."_

_The__ woman stood up and walked out of the circle. _

"_Then how can I help you?"_

"_I know I've asked you a lot already but… I need a favour." _

_Lirio's smile fell a little._

"_I was afraid you would ask me this."_

"_How can you know what I am thinking? Sarah asked, narrowing her eyes in disbelief._

_The woman__ shrugged._

"_I had a feeling, that once you were done putting things in order, you would come to me to bind your powers. Am I right?" _

_The teenager bit her lower lip and asked diffidently:_

"_Are you mad__, for running away when Nancy was after me?" _

"_You needed to reach the real power within yourself. I thought I could help, but it seemed my goodwill wasn't enough."_

_Sarah's lips tightened in a thin line while the older woman turned back to the altar._

"_You did__. You helped, I mean. You welcomed me when I didn't know where to go. I was selfish to bring you into this." _

_Lirio shook her head._

"_You did all of this yourself, and took control over them. You embraced your destiny as a Natural Witch, why would you want to get rid of your powers now?"_

_The teenager closed her eyes._

"_All my life, I wanted to be normal. When I realized I had these… powers, the only person who could have taught me to use them died. They drove me crazy these last years and… and each time I used them something bad happened." She opened her lids and declared determinedly: "I don't want them to interfere with my life anymore."_

"_Even if you try to lock them away, they will still come back" Lirio warned. "Your friends weren't naturals. That's why they lost their powers when you bind Nancy Downs', and you kept yours. I can bind them, but only for a while. You are extremely powerful, Sarah, even for me. The influence of my spell won't be efficient your whole life." _

_Sarah looked down,, clearly a little disappointed with the woman's words. Her mind was set though, and there were no regrets when she said:_

"_I am a teenager and right now, I can't allow myself to focus on them. There… there is a lot going on in my life right now and I need to… I can't keep them. If they come back later, I will handle them –or find a way to, if I must. But right now, I need them gone. I don't feel… ready."_

_Lirio nodded with an understanding glance in her eyes. _

"_Alright, child. Come here then and kneel next to me."_

_She stepped closer and obeyed, making sure her skirt wouldn't be stained by the dust on the ground. She sat on her ankles and rested her hands over her thighs, waiting patiently for the woman to start her ritual. Lirio picked up a glass of water, a golden cup containing dirt and grass, took a candle and put them all on the ground. She stood in front of Sarah then, and raised her arms half-way._

"_Guardians of the watch towers of the South, by the power of Fire and Feeling, I invoke thee, Manon, I invoke thee."_

_Something moved in the air. The light of the candle flickered and she__ felt the presence of a neutral yet dangerous being coming to them. A shiver shook Sarah's spine as she only started to realise what was happening. A feeling of guilt suddenly spread within her, as she _knew _Manon was coming to support Lirio in her spell. She had pleaded him to help her before, and now, she was giving it back. Perhaps kneeling was an instinct, as a form of apology…_

"_I bind you Sarah, from using your magic for now and so on. I bind you Sarah, from using your magic from now and so on. I bind you…"_

_While the __woman went on chanting the spell, the teenager kept her eyes tightly shut. Something within her was fading, and she felt it clearly. It was as if an invisible string bag was falling over her and tightening around her body, to prevent her to move. Even though she had made up her mind and trusted Lirio to do this, she still wondered if something was going wrong. Was it supposed to… hurt like this? To feel like something was being stolen from her soul? Was the natural witch in her crying for the loss of her powers? _

_Was that was Nancy felt, when she __bound her?_

_A__ fresh wind brushed her bare legs, freeing her from the oppressive grip and then… nothing. Everything went back to normal. Sarah didn't feel… different than before, but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her she was. _

"_It's done" Lirio said, interrupting her thoughts. "You can get up now."_

_The teenager obeyed and realised a few things. Only half of the candles of the altar were still lightened, and the dirt had been turned into dust. Something had happened. And she didn't know if she had to feel relieved or on t__he verge of tears because somehow, she knew it had worked._

"_If you want to free them completely one day, you need to come back to the shop" Lirio suddenly said. "Once a spell is thrown, gates are opened, but I can still open another one to reverse the effects."_

"_Okay" Sarah replied, doubting seriously she would ever come back. "Thanks again." _

"_Take care of yourself. Farewell child." _

_The teenager returned the goodbye and started to leave. She was at the door and about to push it open when she suddenly changed her mind and headed back to the woman._

"_I…__ I need to confess something" she blurted. "I am not supposed to say this but I still wanted you to know… My name isn't 'Sarah'. Well it's my second name but my first name…" _

_Lirio rested her hand on the teenager's shoulder to silence her, and replied with a gentle smile: _

"_I know. The spell wouldn't have worked if you had given me a fake one. I wish you the best and farewell, Teresa." _

**-PIW****-**

Lisbon suddenly woke up and sat up immediately in her bed. Her erratic breath and her wild-beating heart convinced it would be better to lie down for a few moments. She breathed in and out to calm down the turmoil of her body and closed her eyes. Her skin felt sticky against her pyjama's fabric. Everything was silent. She opened her eyes again.

The blinds weren't fully closed and she wondered if she had forgotten to close them or if she had just fallen in bed without closing them. Lisbon frowned, trying to remember. Jane had been a pain in the ass once again, bothering a very influent –and awfully quick-tempered- senator and Hightower had to use extreme diplomatic measures to make sure the man wouldn't come yelling after them with a lawsuit. Then it ensured with an argument between her and the consultant, about Hightower on the verge of firing her and Jane affirming he wouldn't let it happen and all, until she decided she had enough and went home, read a book, watched television and headed to bed.

Forgotten to close the blinds then, she concluded with a nod. It wouldn't be the first time and certainly not the last. Keeping an eye on Jane was a job in itself and she doubted she was even paid reasonably enough for that added responsibility. Perhaps she should exchange places with Hightower one day, to make the woman understand how much of a pain he really was. Lisbon groaned and buried her head in the pillow. All this thinking did not solve her problem with the blinds. She still needed to close them.

While she mentally debated on whenever she should get up or not right away or wait till the morning sun pushed her to do so, pictures of her latest dream came to mind. Not exactly a dream, in fact, but a part of the last day she had lived as 'Sarah Bailey'. Lisbon smirked.

Sarah Bailey, a plain teenager moving to LA because of her father's job and enrolling into a Catholic school, making friends and living her life like any normal teen. Except that it was just a lie.

An impulse made her roll over to her left nightstand and she turned the lamp on before pulling the drawer open. Inside, buried under papers and a few books, a black notebook eventually caught her attention. She took it, settled more comfortably against her pillows and opened it. The first page only contained one word: 'Diary'. She smiled sadly. The poor thing had been her companion during her teenage years, the only one she confessed all her repressed feelings towards her father, the unbearable charge of raising her brothers, and above all…

A picture fell on her covers. It was quite old now, from about twenty years prior. A blond haired couple dressed in professional black suits and a teenager in her sixteen's was staring at the camera. Lisbon chuckled. That was the only memento she had from the Baileys, or rather, from Agent Ross and Agent Jones and perhaps the last time she ever dyed her hair. The photo had been taken the day after the trial, the judgement of Harrison Browns, a man who had killed an elderly couple in front of her very eyes. She and her family were safe now and she was likely not going to see the agents again. Her smile faltered. She had never seen them again.

It wasn't due to the fact she never had the occasion to contact them. She could have, if she had really wanted. But there were a few things that always prevented her from doing it. First, the fact they were FBI often undercover, and her contacting them could put their position in danger –especially since they took off for another dangerous mission right after being done with her case. Then, there were the memories attached to them. They had acted like parents towards her, but the moments she had gone through with them around… she wished she could have erased some fragments from her memory forever, as well as this inevitable truth.

She was a witch.

She was a witch, just like her mother and like her grand-mother and great grand-mother had been. Her powers had first showed up soon before her mother's accident. Mary Lisbon had explained calmly that these were part of her heritage, and that she didn't have to resent them. But after her death, Lisbon had lost the slight control she had over her powers.

With a shake of the head, she pushed the memories away in the back of her mind and closed her former diary. She put it back in the drawer, closed it and…

The sudden feeling she was being watched made her stare immediately at the window. Lisbon stood up and headed there, glancing outside. Everything was dark and barely distinguishable, especially since the lamppost's bulb had been broken by some stupid teenagers who wanted to have fun one night. And there was no moon, no stars in the sky. She could barely make out the contours of the closest tree. Deciding it would be pointless to waste her time scanning an environment she couldn't even see, Lisbon closed her blinds and went back to bed. An uneasy feeling crept inside, though she couldn't tell why. Dreaming of her lost powers would be the most rational explanation, but somehow she knew there was more. Like a… warning of some sort.

Pushing the discomfort away, Lisbon closed her eyes and shifted to find a more comfortable position. A long day was awaiting her the next day, and she needed to sleep.

Outside, a thin shadow detached itself from the trunk of the tree. The stranger grinned wickedly before whispering and walking away:

"Found you, Sarah."

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	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait, I'll try to speed up for the next one. ****Not much to say, so I'll just let you read :3**

**Thanks to ****Jisbon4ever; ****Heartwing**** ;Mia66; Mabeline36 ;Thehongkonger; ****Tabitha of MoonAurora; ****Mental-Fan; ****1832TeaQL**** for their reviews :D thanks for the alerts and favourite too !**

**And thanks to my half-beta for checking this!**

**Disclaimer; I only own my twisted imagination people!**

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**Payback's a Witch**

1

The following day started quite normally, and the weird feeling Lisbon had during the night had faded away. The drive to work had been for once quite fast, a certain _someone_ did not came to bug her and thanks to that, she was even starting to see the end of her mountain of paperwork. As she signed another report, she wondered why everything went so smoothly. Something must be about to happen. So it was all natural that her peaceful morning was dangerously threatening to crumble down when Van Pelt showed up knocking at her door with an uneasy expression on her face. _That_ screamed troubles, and Lisbon wondered if she had to feel relieved or worried that the calm had finally ended.

"Boss, there are two women asking to see you… They look pretty upset. Shall I bring them in?"

The petite agent raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled. She rarely got visits, even from her brothers, and didn't exactly have friends around that would show up unannounced. The few she kept contact with were not even in California. Perhaps they were potential witnesses or… The agent sighed, shaking her head in resignation. Now she understood her rookie's agitation; the redhead thought they were women Jane had angered for some reason and came to complain about the man's behavior. That wouldn't be –alas- the first time he did that dirty scam on her. And would certainly not be the last.

"Yeah, bring them to my office, I'll see what they want."

After the usual 'yes boss', the redhead walked away, giving some time to the senior agent to rearrange her desk. Files in the corner, pens back in the box… The uneasy feeling she had the previous night started to hunt her again. Like something bad was going to happen, and she couldn't control it or do anything about it. The footsteps approaching of her office, announcing the arrival of her visitors, made her raise her head.

Two women were following Van Pelt docilely. A brown-haired one dressed in a fancy black suit, and a black-skinned one wearing a plain pair of jeans and a white blouse. Lisbon narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better shot of the approaching strangers, thinking they looked vaguely familiar. When they stood right behind the glass door, where she could eventually distinguish their faces better, Lisbon froze.

It had to be a huge coincidence. It had to be; because she couldn't –wouldn't believe the dream she had the previous night was a warning of her subconscious. That or even worse; her inner power resurging and alerting her that she would meet Bonnie and Rochelle again.

**-****RC-**

When Jane came out of the bathroom, he immediately noted something different in Van Pelt's behavior. The redhead was still at her desk, typing a report of the latest case, but her shoulders were slightly tensed and rigid. Something was bothering her. He wondered if teasing her would be more efficient to get her "confess" or if he should just ask directly. Feeling he would get his answer anyway, since the redhead knew better than to try to hide something from him, he chose the latter.

"Tell me Grace, what's going on?"

Van Pelt paused in her typing and glanced at him with a hint of surprise.

"Nothing's wrong."

"C'mon" he insisted with a cocky grin. "Something is bothering you, and you are dying to tell me what that is."

Perhaps any other day, he wouldn't have pushed the issue. But today, he had decided that he should give Lisbon a rest and bug someone else. So unfortunately for the redhead, he would not leave her alone until she split what she knew.

"Lisbon has visitors" she replied eventually, shrugging. The consultant immediately felt she wasn't saying everything.

"There's more to it. What aren't you telling me?"

Van Pelt pushed her seat away from her desk and faced him with a frown.

"Listen, it's none of my business…"

"But you are worried."

She sighed, annoyed, and added on a lower tone:

"I told you it's none of my business, but I think she doesn't like them."

_Aha_, that interested the blond man. Usually, Lisbon always did her best to conceal her feelings, especially in front of the members of her team. The fact she didn't manage to hide them right then spoke volumes to him.

"Don't like them; like don't like-like them, annoyed by them, or hate them?"

The redhead shrugged.

"I don't know… I'd say the last one, I guess."

Jane frowned at her words. So Lisbon was welcoming people she didn't like in her office for some reason. Former friends turned enemies perhaps? As the thought crossed his mind, he heard angry exchanges of voice from her office. He bit his lower lip in wonder and glanced at the closed door. Should he be his usual self and let himself in to be noisy? Or should he, for once be nice and let her solve her own problems by herself?

"You… are _not_ going?" Van Pelt's hesitant voice surprised him.

The redhead was expecting him to go? After a quick glance at the woman, he realized she somehow… wanted him to interrupt whatever was happening in there. The notion made him worry slightly. If _she_ wanted him in, then it mean Lisbon did _not_ like her visitors. She did not like them, yet still had to greet them. He stood up and headed towards their boss's office. If his favorite senior agent was in trouble, who was he to decline a S.O.S.?

**-RC-**

At first, none of the three women spoke as they sat around the petite agent's desk. Lisbon scanned them once again.

They had both changed since the last time she saw them. Rochelle had obviously continued the swimming training given her muscular arms, broad shoulders and slim waist. She had also straightened her hair and had it tightly attached in a high ponytail. As for Bonnie, the woman had kept her long hair and taken care of herself. Her obsession with keeping her good looks must have grown over the years, for she had the perfect make up, wore clothes perfectly ironed and smelt rather good.

Lisbon snorted inwardly. Why they were here, she had no idea. But she had no intention of starting a plain conversation, and too bad if they didn't seem to know where to start. A full minute ticked before Bonnie eventually spoke up:

"You look good Sarah."

"It's Agent Lisbon" she snapped back immediately, not caring about their slight wince at her sharp tone. "How did you find me?"

Rochelle decided to reply in turn.

"Bonnie's husband is a lawyer. _Was_ a good lawyer; he died a few weeks ago actually." So that explained the black clothes. "It wasn't easy to trace you… you never told us 'Sarah Bailey' wasn't your real name."

"And that was none of your business" Lisbon replied coldly. "What do you want?"

Both women glanced at each other uneasily.

"We… need your help Sa –Agent Lisbon" the black woman started. "We have been receiving death threats for a while, and we have no proof to support it but we think Nancy is behind this."

"My husband was found hung in his office and my children are in a coma after a car accident" Bonnie added on a heartbroken, wimpy tone, taking out a paper from her pocket. "The car was perfectly fine and the chauffeur sober. But I found this in the mailbox the very morning."

Lisbon didn't even glance at the white sheet on which newspaper letters were glued on it. By experience and given the teary eyes of the woman, she could tell the words were not exactly a declaration of love. Seeing she wasn't reacting, Rochelle took over:

"I received one a week before. My current boyfriend has been having nightmares and he feels he had been followed lately. I've had that feeling too and I'm scared."

The agent didn't even blink an eye. Bonnie tried again with a weak, trembling voice:

"You vanquished Nancy before. You can do it again. You have always been more powerful than…"

"That's just bull and I don't want to hear another word. Have you even checked if Nancy was out there?"

The two women glanced at each other again.

"No but…"

"And moreover, who gave you the _right_ to come to _my_ office and ask _me_ of all people to _help_ you after what you've done to me? You tried to KILL me" she hissed angrily.

"Sarah, we were kids" Bonnie said on a reasonable tone.

"And Nancy…" started Rochelle.

"Oh yeah, Nancy. You can always put the blame on her; you still followed her blindly and knowingly."

"Sarah! She told us she'd get revenge on every people who betrayed her!" Bonnie replied, her voice starting to grow hysterical. "I… I'm scared because I don't want a madwoman coming after me! I have kids and I don't want them to die because of a stupid mistake I did over twenty years ago!"

"You two get out of my office right away" Lisbon blurted standing up. "I don't want to see you…"

The door of her office suddenly opened and a familiar irritating blond man irrupted in the room with a blinding smile.

"Hey Lisbon about the… oh I'm sorry ladies, I didn't know you had visitors. You should have told me."

The petite agent narrowed her eyes at him, but she still felt a pang of relief in her chest at his unpredicted arrival. With him around, she knew she wasn't alone anymore, and with some luck he would chase away the two undesirable visitors from her office without her being involved…

"So these people were your friends?"

Lisbon sighed dryly. Of course he would attack on the personal field, but right now she was _not_ up for a new mental game.

"No" she replied annoyingly. "They were just about to lea…"

"Let me guess" he interrupted her again, grinning at the trio and scanning them top to bottom. "You were friends in the past but you got separate because you disagreed on something. No, it wasn't a mere disagreement" He narrowed his eyes, thinking harder. "It was a very nasty argument. You threatened each other? You came to Lisbon, so I suppose either she was the leading one, or since you both have guilt in your eyes, your victim." No response. "No, it definitely wasn't a mere argument, you threatened to kill…"

Bonnie stood up and glared at him.

"Who are you?" she huffed indignantly in a way Lisbon would qualify as… amusingly snobbish. "What gives you the right to irrupt in this office and spill all this nonsense? You are out of your mind!"

The blond man's eyes sparkled with triumph, yet slight discomfort.

"So you did threaten to kill Lisbon." When the standing woman and the sitting one winced slightly, he stared at them in disbelief: "You actually _tried_ to kill her?"

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest again, but Rochelle turned to Lisbon and asked:

"Is he always like that? Throwing suppositions out of no-where?"

"Yes. And he is pretty accurate most of the time" the agent replied dryly. "I think I've expressed my desire to see you out of my office _now_."

"We are not done yet" Bonnie shot at her with an extremely authoritarian tone; Lisbon suspected this was the tone she used with her deceased husband when she wanted something from him. "We need your protection! You can't let us face that lunatic alone!"

"And I believe you don't have the right to seek protection from someone you've killed before" Jane intervened before Lisbon could open her mouth, speaking on a charming yet extremely hostile tone. "I believe Lisbon has her reasons to refuse so I see no further reason for you to stay here."

At the man's words, the black woman reluctantly stood up in turn, a resigned expression on her face. Bonnie shut her mouth and glared at him for a short moment before turning back to Lisbon and spitting, an extremely hateful hint in her voice:

"That's it. Send us to the wolf. You will have our deaths on your conscience!"

"Like that's something I will actually feel guilty about" the petite agent growled, narrowing her eyes in return. Bonne glanced at Jane then and put up her most… weak, pleading voice.

"Please, you need to help us…"

Lisbon held back the need to snort. Even though she was a good actress, the woman would never bluff her consultant; Jane was smarter than that. The man shrugged in response.

"Why should I? I'm not a cop and if I disobey Lisbon's orders I will be fired."

"Then you must be Sa –Agent Lisbon's pet boyfriend" Bonnie spitted, losing all of her charms, before turning back to Lisbon. "How nice from your knight in shining armour; to come and put you out of your responsibilities. You can never do something by yourself, don't you? How did you get him by your side? Did the same as you did to Chris?"

Her words hit Lisbon deep inside. It had happened twenty years ago, but the white, dead face of a teenager came back to her mind full force. The shame, as well as the guilt of not managing to protect the boy from Nancy started creeping within. Even though she had been humiliated by him, it had taken a long time before the nightmares started fading away. Both women knew it, and both knew that was the lowest blow they could ever give her.

"Get out" she whispered, keeping a firm grip over herself to avoid the upcoming sadness that would undoubtedly intrigue Jane even more.

"You'll get news from her anyway" Rochelle said while leaving. "You know her, she'll want to get back at you. No-one is safe anymore, especially not you." She bit her lower lip and added more quietly: "Listen, I'm sorry for what we've done but…"

"OUT! _NOW!_"

The two women threw her a last glance before heading out. Their frame disappeared in the corridor within seconds, and Lisbon sat back on her chair, sighing tiredly. She couldn't help that feeling; that she was never going to see them again. That something was inevitably going to happen to them. And somehow, she couldn't feel guilty about it.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Hellow people! Sorry for the long wait, but I got a ****few inspiration problems lately (hopefully won't last =.="). Thus the length of this chapter (plus for Guardian Angel's readers, I might take longer than I thought to update, sorryyyyyy!). it's frustrating when you know **_**what **_**you want to write something, but you have no idea **_**how**_** to write it :P**

**Anyway, I'll stop my complaining and let you read :) **

**Thanks to ****Chiisana Minako; ****Smudje;**** SaraDinkson; ****xanderseye; ****Jisbon4ever;**** PetitJ ; jasadin; ****The HongKonger;**** katslaffin (hee thank you; I'm glad you like it :D); ****1832TeaQL; ****Mental-Fan; ****twin192**** for their reviews. Thanks for the alerts and favourite too :D **

**And thanks to my half-beta for checking this :3**

**Disclaimer; I only own my twisted imagination!**** Hope you will enjoy this :D**

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**2**

"Who is Chris?"

Bonnie and Rochelle had left the room barely a few minutes ago. Jane had stayed in her office and patiently waited until she was back on her seat. At first, Lisbon hadn't shown any reaction to his presence. To get some response out of her, he asked the easiest question that went through his mind. But to his surprise, she didn't answer. Her eyes were still focused warily on the door the two women had gone through before disappearing.

"Lisbon?" the blond man tried again, waving his hand in front of her face. "Helloo-ow?"

The senior agent suddenly snapped out of her trance and glanced at him with an absent expression.

"Uh? Sorry, you were saying Jane?"

"Who is Chris?"

Lisbon sighed and focused her attention on the non-existent papers on her desk. She knew he wouldn't leave before he had at least one answer to brood over. Jane was just worried, she easily recognised the signs, but as sweet as it was from his part, she wasn't in the mood for confessions. Even if she told him, this wasn't some truth he would accept without proof. And without her powers, she couldn't prove anything. Not that she wanted to anyway.

"Just a guy I used to have a crush on, when I was a teenager. He was a jerk" she added, shrugging.

"Oh really?" Jane asked, his interest growing slightly on a potential love candidate for his favourite agent. "And how did you "do" him?"

"I didn't" she replied coldly. "He went through a window during some party. He fell from the third floor and died on spot."

Jane's teasing smile disappeared immediately.

"Ah" he could only say. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

The petite agent nodded to say she had gotten his message and looked away.

"Now, leave me alone."

He didn't want to. He had so many questions; what happened in the past? Why did those two women tried to kill her? Why did she take that boy's death so seriously? And above all… why did he read guilt in her eyes when that name had been mentioned?

"Jane, please."

Her voice was softer, frailer that usual. The encounter with those two women had really shaken her, he realised. She had that attitude, trying to keep her walls up in front of him; just like when she had been accused of McTear's murder. She had started to cry, showing off the vulnerable woman inside. Jane knew when he met her gaze; she _needed_ to be left alone.

"I'll go for now" he replied on a quiet tone. "But I will come back later."

His words made her smirk slightly, as if she expected him to do so. When he walked out, he made sure to close the door firmly and prevent any undesirable nuisance to approach her office without a damn good reason.

**-****PIW-**

_It was all dark, raining and cold. She was somewhere in a dirty street, alone and __completely soaked. But she couldn't care less right now. She had to act fast because if she didn't; he was going to die; and that would be all her fault. _

"_Not so proud now, aren't you sweetie?"_

_Lisbon raised her head in a sharp movement. No-one was around, aside from the teenager girl on her right, staring at them with eyes wide with fear. At the end of the alley, the indistinct contours of a silhouette detached itself from the shadows of the wall. The newcomer was wearing a long, black coat and according to the tone of the voice earlier, it was a female. Lisbon couldn't see her face, but she could feel the grin in her tone when the unknown woman chanted:_

"_Hurry up, hurry up…"_

_The__ petite agent turned her attention to the blond-haired man lying next to her. She knelt next to him, ignoring the woman's mockeries and hysterical laughs. His skin was cold. She couldn't feel his pulse anymore. No. She didn't let fear creep inside her yet. He wasn't gone. No, he couldn't go away from her. Not yet. He had promised…_

"_Is he dead?" the teenager asked on a quiet, worried tone._

_Death. The word she did not allowed her brain to use. If she did, then…__ it would become real; and she wasn't ready to face that reality yet. She couldn't live with the fact she failed to save him from that woman's paws. Not when she knew what was coming._

"_I think he's dea-" _

"_Shut up!" Lisbon yelled, glaring at the teenager. "He's not!" _

"_Then why isn't he breathing sweetie? Why is he so cold and unmoving?" the woman asked with a fake hint of pain in her voice. "Tell me why –oh why did he end up this way?" _

_A sinister laugh escaped her throat, as she sang the last words again and again. He was dead cold, Lisbon realised with teary eyes. He was dead. He was dead because of that bitch…_

"_You brought this upon yourself sw__eetie. You didn't protect him properly. It's your fault. Your fault." _

**-PIW-**

Lisbon woke up sweating and panting, her heartbeat racing and feeling dread. It took a few seconds to realise that she was still in her room and Jane was not there. She straightened in her bed, light the lamp and looked around. No sign of the blond man, of unknown alleys, of the teenager or that woman… Sighing deeply in relief, Lisbon lay back down and closed her eyes.

The nightmare had been so vivid and real… she had touched the cold skin, noted the lack of a pulse, felt the panic rising… Tears started forming in her eyes despite her unwillingness to cry.

_It's your fault. Your fault. _

She hadn't been able to protect him from her. She had failed… Lisbon shook her head and turned on her side. It was just a nightmare. A horrible nightmare, nothing else. She sighed in resignation and snuggled into her covers. The agent would usually get out of bed and make herself some coffee before heading to the office for an early day when these kind of things happened, but for some reason, she was completely drained of her energy and exhausted. Plus, it was still early in the morning and she could take a few more hours.

Sleep came to her easier than she thought, almost immediately. It wasn't exactly surprising in her mind. The previous day had been more emotionally tiring with Bonnie and Rochelle's visit, and thankfully nothing had come to bother her during the afternoon. Company was the last thing she needed, especially after that unexpected meeting. Not even Jane, who seemed to have gotten the hint that she didn't want to be bothered. Perhaps he was the one chasing away any possible intruders. The thought made her chuckle as she imagined him holding a shield and waving a blade to whoever stepped close to the door. Since Red John's death, he had been more protective of her, for some reason…

The plain musical tune of her cell phone made her frown and she turned towards her night desk, grumbling. Whoever called, if it wasn't for a damn good reason, was doomed.

"L'sbon" she said sleepily without looking at the caller's ID.

No-one answered. Lisbon frowned and said:

"Hello?"

A heavy breathing on the other side of the line was her only reply. The agent sighed impatiently, wondering if this was just a prank from some kids. And swearing that if she ever caught the responsible…

"_You better watch __over your boyfriend sweetie."_

Lisbon froze, now wide awake. The intonation told her something she wished wasn't true. Twenty years later the voice had pretty much changed; but despite the time separating them, the petite agent would recognize everywhere the mocking, wicked tone. She breathed in and asked, wishing her voice was stronger:

"Is that you… Nancy?"

A loud laugh echoed in her ears, and Lisbon felt shivers chilling her bones. Her stomach made another flip when the woman on the other side on the phone purred:

"_Tic__, tic, tic Sarah. Hurry up, time is running out." _

And then she hung up.

* * *

**So same question; did you like it? Didn't like it? Please let me know (even if you don't :P) **

**Thank you for reading!**

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_**http:/ / chizuru-chibi . livejournal . com / 84336 . html**_


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, I am SOOOO SOORRY for the long wait! I had a major block of this chapter ****and rewritten it I don't know how many times uu". I'll try to go faster on the next one, promise! and sorry I didn't reply to every review...I'll do better next time uu"  
**

**Thanks to ****Jisbon4ever; ****LizfromItaly****; X-Kitty-Cat-X****; SakuraAkira 365 ****Marie Knight; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****1832TeaQL; ****The HongKonger**** for their reviews ! Thanks for the alerts and favourite too !**

**And thanks to my half beta for beta-ing this and pocking me into continuing :3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, aside from from my crazy mind :D. Hope you'll enjoy this (won't blame you if you don't ;3)  
**

* * *

**Payback's a witch**

**4.**

_A loud laugh echoed in her ears, and Lisbon felt shivers chilling her bones. Her stomach made another flip when the woman on the other side on the phone purred:_

"_Tic, tic, tic Sarah. Hurry up, time is running out." _

_And then she hung up._

**-PIW-**

If Jane was in her vehicle right now, Lisbon was sure he would made everlasting fun of her. As soon as the communication had been cut, she had put on the first clothes she could find and had run to her car. And now, the agent was breaking every speed limit for the first time in her life. She never drove so fast, not even chasing after a suspect or hurrying when her brothers were in trouble. They were mere human after all but Nancy… Nancy was a whole different matter. She knew witchcraft, she knew how to use it and she was completely crazy.

Plus, the perspective of that woman harming Jane was something she could not deal with. In fact, it drove her insane. The man had nothing to do with this whole matter. He had no deal in the business, aside from being her co-worker and –dear- friend. What was she supposed to do if it turned out Nancy did hurt him somehow? She hadn't really believed Bonnie and Rochelle's tales. That woman was in a mental institute after all! Lisbon had put her in there, she should know… but if she had really escaped… Not that it made Jane in imminent death danger, but knowing Nancy, the witch would probably provoke dark nightmares using his past and painful memories for a while as a warning, and if that put Jane in another period of depression, she would never forgive herself.

His car was in the parking lot but that didn't mean he was all right. Lisbon parked hurriedly and raced to the staircase, (nearly missed his apartment door in her rush) and rang repetitively. Seconds seemed to turn into hours when he didn't reply right away. Two full minutes had passed before she decided she had waited long enough and this time, knocked loudly.

She heard some noise behind the door, the sound of a key being turned and finally…

"Lisbon?" Jane blinked at her with a tired voice and sleepy eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He was there. He was fine. She had bothered him during his sleep but he was fine. The relief was so overwhelming; nothing else mattered at the moment. Lisbon stepped closer and hugged him instantly, wanting to touch and make sure this wasn't an illusion. The firmness of his body, his warmth and his scent… he was solid, and very real. She couldn't help but smile at the thought and sighed in content.

"Lisbon? What's going on?"

Only then reality fell upon her and the woman realized his chest was bare, and she was particularly clinging… _tight_. Her cheeks turned tomato red and she backed off quickly, as if suddenly burned by his skin. Now how was she supposed to look at him in the eye? Thankfully, the jerk seemed more amused than intrigued by her behavior.

"Sorry" she muttered, trying to get over her embarrassment. Her mind started racing to find a plausible excuse for her momentary lapse in control.

"No problem" he replied pleasantly. "I don't know what happened but I wish it did more often. Especially if I get a hug out of it" he added with a wink. When her face remained flushed, he took pity on her and stepped aside. "Wanna come in?"

Lisbon hesitated a second before nodding and entering. She had never been in his apartment before, and couldn't help peeking around. The place was rather Spartan, with bare walls, a lone couch in the middle of what appeared to be the living room, a table and two chairs… The only proofs of someone residing there were the few clothes lying on the table. Casual clothes. It almost made her smile, since she had always seen him in a three piece suit or in pyjamas.

"So, what's the rush?" he eventually asked. "What made you show up at" he glanced at the clock on the wall –"two thirty in front of my door and wake me up from my beauty sleep?"

The tone was playful yet serious and a little worried. The woman hesitated before answering. She couldn't tell the truth, that a damn witch threatened to harm him if she didn't hurry up to save him; and he would see right through her if she lied in her current state. Most of the times, when her head was clear and perfectly working, she would have no problem shoving him off when he started getting nosy. Right now, stability was the last word to qualify her actual state of mind. She decided for a half-truth.

"I had a nightmare."

It did the trick. Jane's eyes grew softer in understanding and the teasing turned into a compassionate expression. Even after Red John's death, the dark dreams kept plaguing his mind for a while.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Lisbon hesitated. The more she spilled about her fears, the closer he could get to realize she wasn't being entirely truthful. But then, if she closed up, he would sense something else was nagging her. When she didn't reply right away, Jane stepped closer and, raising his hand to her face, lifted her chin so she couldn't escape his gaze.

"Tell me Teresa."

Too busy contemplating the earnest and candid glint in his eyes, she almost skipped the moment he called her by her first name. He only did when he felt she was upset, to reduce the usual personal distance between them… Lisbon gave him a little sad smile.

"I'm fine Patrick" she also did the same, to reassure him or remind him he was also her friend and she trusted him, but also wanted to keep some things to herself. "I just…" She freed her face and blinked repetitively to grab a better hold over herself. "You were dead. I was there, and I… I couldn't do anything." She laughed a little awkwardly. "I was scared when I woke up, I just had to make sure… Stupid isn't it?"

As Lisbon half expected, he stepped closer and cupped her cheeks. His thump slid under her eye, and then only she realized she had been crying silent tears. A beautiful, reassuring smile grew on his face. The sudden proximity of his chest made her realize how close he was standing, but it didn't feel awkward. Rather… comforting.

"I'm fine" Jane said, repeating her own words, leaning closer to kiss her forehead. "Sorry I'm still making you worry, even in your dreams."

The woman closed her eyes at his touch and, when she felt herself calm enough, muttered:

"I'm always worried, in or out of my dreams."

"My point" he added with a grin, finally releasing her. "But you know, you could have also called. I do own a cell phone which number, I believe, is recorded 1 on your speed-dial."

Lisbon grimaced at his remark. Of course she could have phoned him, but that would have been far from enough. She needed to make sure he was all right in person, not through some electronic device.

"I… it didn't cross my mind" she grumbled, looking away. "Listen, I just needed to know you're okay and hadn't taken off somewhere or vanish…"

"You can always sleep in my bed, if you're afraid I'll vanish" he added with a huge beam on his face. He had caught the moment she started to get uncomfortable in the discussion, and was trying to divert her. It always worked.

"Is that an offer?" she took the bait with a grin. Inside, it was a whole different story. The fear something would actually happen the minute she left was creeping inside. She couldn't let him out of her sight anymore. He merely shrugged and asked, rolling his brow in a suggestive way:

"Depends. Are you interested?"

_Yeah, definitely_ her subconscious replied; but Lisbon only chuckled in amusement instead. They had shared a bed before, in the innocent sense of the word. He needed comfort and was having nightmares, and she was there for him. Nothing intimate had really happened, aside from awkward awakenings, when she realized they had been sleeping way too close, cuddling even. But Jane had never woken up before her, so she always got to detangle herself from him before he opened his eyes, and keep their situation as her little secret.

"No funny stuff" the senior agent warned. Jane's face fell a little and he feigned a pout.

"Ow Teresaaa…"

She kept teasing him and he kept answering. They eventually headed to his bedroom; she changed into one of his shirts and lay on her side of the bed. He did the same and soon enough, she heard his breath turning regular. Only then, Lisbon allowed herself to turn to face his back and reached out a hand to brush it. Sharing the mattress with him reassured her a little. At least, she felt a little better knowing he was right there. She closed her eyes, comforted by the thought he was so close, and let herself drift into dreamland.

When she woke up the next morning, she was spread over his chest, his arm thrown over her waist and holding her tight. Lisbon slowly disentangled from this position without waking him up. She dropped a kiss on his forehead before heading outside and closing the door carefully behind.

She didn't notice his eyes opening, fully awaken, and following her retreating form out of the room.

**-PIW-**

Two days had passed since that night. Nothing unusual had happened since then; aside from two new investigations closed in record time with Jane's idiotic ideas, which again ended with her filling mountains of papers at her office. Despite the nervousness of the first days, Lisbon was slowly starting to think this had been just a huge elaborate hoax –or coincidence. She had called the mental institute and they had confirmed the patient Nancy Downs's presence in their walls… or rather, declared her death two years prior. Another detail that put her mind at ease. The woman had been cremated and unless she had somehow managed to invoke Manon without the strength of a coven to protect herself from the flames…

"Daydreaming again?"

The unpleasant voice of Bonnie made Lisbon jump on her chair and glare at her. The woman had come alone this time, fingers fidgeting nervously on the strap of her handbag. The agent narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want?" she hissed. "I thought I was pretty clear the other day."

"I know; that's not why I came." She pulled out a few black and white pictures from her back and handed them to Lisbon. They all showed up the silhouette of a woman dressed with dark clothes, grinning wickedly. The agent couldn't restrain a shiver and had to admit the stranger did look a lot like Nancy. "Rochelle ran away and I am taking a plane to fly back to LA. I want to face her, and beg her to forgive my kids for the sins of their mother. Our siblings aren't the only ones who died recently, Sarah. She is coming for a kill, and your powers…"

"I don't have them anymore" Lisbon snapped at the mention of the P word. She had been so adamant to forget about them, to put this all behind… and here was her past, trying to pull her down its spiral again. "I'm not stupid, I will watch my back like I always do. But I don't have them anymore, so stop running after me."

"You are a natural witch Sarah" Bonnie cut dryly. "No matter what you think, your powers _will_ come back if you want them to." She put a small card on which numbers were written in black ink. "My address and phone number, if you ever decide to change your mind."

"I won't" Lisbon replied sharply. "Now get out of my office. I believe you have a plane to catch."

Bonnie's lips tightened in a thin line, clearly unpleased with her answer. She still left nevertheless and Lisbon sighed in relief when the door was firmly closed. Her break didn't last long though, when Hightower entered barely one hour later, holding a thick file in her hands.

"Lisbon, we had a call from LA's police. They want you to collaborate with one of their cases…"

"Sure…"

"As a witness." Hightower let the file fall and took out a few pictures. "Do you recognize these people?"

Four adults. Three women and one man. Two women were killed by being burnt. The other woman and the man had their throat slaughtered.

"They recognized two of them as being Agent Ross and Agent Jones. I believe they were your guardians during the time you were under witness protection. The police of LA are trying to catch any potential suspect and they are hoping you would be able to help."

Lisbon nodded wordlessly. It didn't surprise her that Hightower knew about that last detail. That small part of her past had been recorded in her personal files after all. What puzzle her was why _her_? Especially after twenty years.

"Your name and number was found in the personal utilities of the two last victims." Ah, that was why. "The two others are still in process of being identified, but forensics were able to say one was Caucasian and the other Black."

It must have been a coincidence, Lisbon tried to convince herself. She took a closed look. At first sight, the bodies were unrecognizable; but some clothes and hair were still visible. The… Wait. Wasn't Rochelle wearing a similar polo when she came two days prior?

"When were the bodies discovered?" she asked with a remarkable cool tone. Inside, she was dreading the answer.

"Two days ago. There was the message: '_Come back Sarah, or your boyfriend is next'_, also find next to the last victim. Does it ring a bell?"

Lisbon closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Now she couldn't deny the fact, or try to explain it by some random excuse. Nancy had somehow escaped the mental institute and was now plotting a real revenge on them. Or rather, now on _her_.

"No ma'am. I'm sorry, I can't help more."

The black woman started at her intensely, and Lisbon held her gaze. She caught the message.

"You are aware that hiding or lying will not be handy for the investigation" Hightower eventually said.

"Yes ma'am."

"Can you swear you have nothing to do with these murders?"

"I haven't killed any of these people."

"But you _do_ know something" the black woman insisted. Lisbon didn't beat an eyelid.

"No ma'am."

No-one else needed to be included in this whole scheme. At the best scenario case, the former witch didn't have her powers back and would only be capable of acting with human weapons. At worst, she _had_ somehow recovered her powers, and there… Once Hightower understood she wouldn't have any more information, she left the office, throwing a disappointed look at the petite woman before closing the door.

It took her the whole day to make up her mind. The agent waited until her team was gone and Jane safely tucked away to make her move. Exceptionally today, she knew her boss would stay longer because of a case she needed to close by filling paperwork. She walked to Hightower's office and pushed the door open. The black woman was still busy when she came in, and glanced at her quizzically.

"Yes agent Lisbon?"

When she spoke, there were no place left for hesitation or alternatives.

"I'm taking a leave."

* * *

**Despite the long wait, did you like it? Didn't like it? Please tell me ****:3**

**Thank you for reading so far, and for apology, here's a little preview.**

**Next chapter preview: **

"_D…did you see that?" Jane eventually babbled, staring in complete shock at the fallen box. "I…__ It just flew from…" he glanced at the wall then turned back his attention on Lisbon. "How did you do that?"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello people! Sorry for the late update, I was off with my family a few days**** and discovered that drawing 3D pictures in the sand was quite an amusing activity xD. Ahem, anyway, here is chapter 5. hope you will enjoy it :3 **

**Thanks to ****twin192; ****Dubbers****, jas, ****Totallyfan; ****1832TeaQL****, ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****Chiisana Minako; ****xanderseye; ****Jisbon4ever; ****Mental-Fan; ****PetitJ ****; The HongKonger; ****Tabitha of MoonAurora**** for their reviews. Thanks for the alerts and favourite too!**

**And thanks to my half-beta for checking this :3**

**Disclaimer; I onl****y own my twisted imagination! Hope you will enjoy this :D (won't blame you if you don't ;3)**

* * *

**Payback's a Witch**

**5**

_When she spoke, there were no place left for hesitation or alternatives._

"_I'm taking a leave."_

**-PIW-**

Lisbon sighed, staring boringly at the clock on the wall. She had finished packing her stuff hours ago after managing to book a last-minute ticket –why were they always so expensive?- to LA. It was still morning, and the flight wasn't before early in the afternoon. Right now, she didn't know what to do. She had the hotel booked and the cab ready to pick her up at 3 pm. And despite her heavy lids for not sleeping the previous night, she couldn't stop thinking of the scene in her boss's office, hours ago.

"_I'm taking a leave."_

_Hightower didn't reply at first. She put down her pen on her desk, crossed her arms and asked coolly:_

"_Are you planning to head to L__os Angeles?" _

"_I only need one week" Lisbon added, ignoring the black woman's question. "Family emergency."_

_Her boss studied her expression carefully, as if looking for some reason to deny__ Lisbon's demand._

"_If I give you these… vacations" she eventually said "can you assure me you won't do something stupid, resulting in going out to play hero or with you going to jail?"_

"_I won't do anything stupid ma'am." _

_That clearly wasn't the exact answer the black woman was hoping to hear, but she nodded anyway._

"_Alright. I suppose you are taking your leave starting tomorrow?"_

_Lisbon nodded, knowing fully that if she ever got caught, even though the black woman wouldn't back her up, __Hightower might get into trouble for letting her go right after the LA police asked for her cooperation. It made her feel bad but at the same time, she didn't really have a choice._

"_Thank you ma'am." _

Lisbon sighed again and rubbed her temples, attempting to clear her mind. Her cell phone rang one more time. Probably Cho or Jane trying to reach her. She felt guilty not warning her team herself, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Forget about the potential danger she was putting the CBI through by staying half a day longer, she thought, she needed to concentrate on more important matters. Like the series of deaths.

According to the autopsy reports Bonnie and Rochelle had been killed Tuesday night, sometime after their visit to her office. So that meant the Bonnie who visited her the previous morning was _not_ her, obviously. Perhaps Nancy had come herself to taunt her? To… _help_ her make the first step and force her to face her denials? To make her accept the fact the demented witch was still alive and breathing, and undoubtedly after her too, most likely. Killing the two FBI agents, then Bonnie and Rochelle was the two first steps of her revenge; she could feel it in her bones.

Lisbon frowned and shook her head. As much as she didn't care much about her two former friends' fate, it still annoyed her to feel a little guilty about their death. Of course, they had tried to kill her so she had damn good reasons to be angry as hell; but she hadn't trusted their words about being hunted by Nancy. There was a result: they were both dead. The woman sighed again, knowing there was little she could have done anyway. No powers, no protection against witchcraft. That was in the case Nancy did have her powers back; unless she had been helped by another witch?

Someone knocked at her door.

The agent slowly rose from her couch and carefully stepped closer to her entrance. Who would come to visit her right now? The timing sucked… unless it was… another warning, or a trap?

She froze when she recognized a bunch of blond curls through the peephole.

"Lisbon?" she heard him call from outside. "Can you open the door please?"

She didn't answer, hoping he would give up. But when she saw him searching in his pockets and pulling out an iron… whatever it was, she sighed and unlocked the door. Better let him in instead of him entering by infraction. The blond man didn't seem surprised with her eventually yielding, as if he suspected her to try to avoid him.

"Hey, can I come in?" he asked, stepping inside without waiting for an answer.

Lisbon groaned in annoyance but let him pass. The quicker Jane was satisfied with his inquiry, the quicker he'd be gone.

"Hightower announced you were taking a leave" he declared before spotting the suitcase, ready to follow its owner everywhere. "Where are you going?"

"Family emergency" she replied smoothly, looking at him in the eye. He wouldn't buy it a second, he knew her too well. But she could always try, right?

After a small pause, during which he didn't take his eyes off her, Jane added:

"I think it has something to do with the two women who visited you the other day. I don't know what they said to you, but it upset you hard enough. Plus, who would visit you at the office?" at her unbelieving stare, he added quickly: "I mean, there is nothing wrong with you having visitors, it's just a little unexpected from you."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes.

"I do have a social life you know."

"Barely" he retorted grinning, as if he didn't think he was subtly insulting her. "I tried to make you open up first, but since you weren't willing to talk to me, I did my own researches."

That didn't sound good.

"I remembered you were under Witness Protection when you were a teen –it's in your file. But there were no details about that. So I dug a little further and read the detailed reasons –you were very brave by the way, testifying against that murderer" he added nonchalantly, as if he was speaking of the weather outside. "But I didn't find anything related to the current events in LA." He paused and stared at her straight in the eyes. "You know who is behind these murders, don't you."

It wasn't a question. Lisbon shrugged and brushed it off, not wanting to show him how much it bothered her that he was trying to sneak in that part of her life.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"You know better than to hide things from me Teresa. I told you many times you are translucent to me."

That was a bluff, and they both knew it. Lately, she had managed to hide her feelings better than she had in years, even if contradictorily, she had never been so open with him. And any other day, for any other problem, she would have caved and talked. But this was an entirely different matter. Jane didn't believe in magic in the first place, and those were _her_ own demons to fight.

"Why would you hide things from me?" he added, his tone almost torn between sadness and anger. "I only want to help."

Using the guilt and underlining she wasn't acting like a real friend should? The woman narrowed her eyes, seriously starting to get annoyed.

"Jane I swear…"

_VLAM _

Silence.

Both Lisbon and Jane turned towards the wall against which her numerous unpacked boxes were piled up. Or rather, _used to_ be piled up. One of them at the top had literally flown from its original spot, crossing the living room halfway and crashing near Jane's feet. Under no circumstances, the move could have been justified by unsteadiness. The box hadn't been touched in_ months_.

"D… did you see that?" Jane eventually babbled, staring in complete shock at the fallen box. "I… It just flew from…" he glanced at the wall then turned back his attention on Lisbon. "How did you do that?"

The woman couldn't believe it either. As she stared at the now empty carton, she felt the dread coursing in her veins. She had done it. She was angry at Jane, just wanting him to shut up and whishing _something_ would distract him. There were no other explanations. She had triggered the little punch… then it only meant _they_ were coming back. After all these years…

"Get out Jane."

She had a desperate need to be alone right now. Jane stared at her incredulously.

"What? But…" he glanced at the box again. "You didn't even touch it" he added in a whisper.

"OUT!" she barked, intensely glaring at him. The blond man didn't resist this time and let her push him out of her house, his gaze still lingering on the fallen carton. Once he was gone, Lisbon backed against the wall, raising her hand to her forehead. Her eyes locked on the box again, and she knew at that moment she really, really had to solve this problem before it became way out of hand.

**-PIW-**

It was rather calm in the airport Lisbon thought, while playing nervously with her suitcase. She had taken very few things, planning not to let this case take more than three days. She doubted Nancy would wait any longer anyway. Three days, or never make it back. The woman winced slightly at the idea, but would do anything not to follow the latter option.

The speaker urged passengers to hurry on some gate to get loaded in some plane for some destination she couldn't care less about. Speaking of planes… she had taken them before, but never under the indirect threat of a crazy woman. Last time the words 'plane' and 'Nancy' were in the same sentence, it had included a charm on the television making her believe both Agents that were supposed to be her parents, had died in an airplane crash.

The mere memory gave her the chills… because that night had been a turning point in her life. The moment she knew she couldn't let psychos like Nancy rule weaker people like… like she was.

Someone brushed her shoulder.

She jerked away and turned to face whoever momentarily scared her out of her bones, and…

"You were zooning out my dear, and looking pretty gloomy. Did I interrupt some sad thinking?"

Lisbon wondered if she had to pinch herself hard to wake up; because obviously, she couldn't be dreaming that Jane was standing right in front of her with his bright smile.

"What the f…" she lowered her voice at the disapproving glare of a nearby mother. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh me? I'm following you."

Lisbon stared at him even more dumbly.

"Why?"

Jane's smile fell a little.

"Well you seemed a little down, and I figured my presence would cheer you up." At her pointed glare, he added, sighing. "All right agent, I confess. I'm madly in love with you and hope I can get you drunk and marry you in LA." It was supposed to be a joke. She didn't crack a smile. "Jeez Lisbon, can't you lighten up sometimes?"

"Why are you following me?" she repeated, more firmly. "The team needs you here."

"They'll manage" Jane replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Plus, Madeleine gave me one week leave too!"

At his cheerfulness, she narrowed her eyes in wonder.

"What did you tell her, to get her to agree for a leave?"

If possible, Jane's grin grew brighter.

"Oh well, when I innocently asked her if, since you weren't around anymore, I could go back to my ways without threatening your job –because you can't handle me long-distance after all, she gladly obliged."

Lisbon rolled her eyes and muttered 'unbelievable'. It seemed that whatever may come up, he wouldn't leave her side. Not unless he had his answers.

"No more games Patrick" she used his first name so he knew she meant business. "What is the real reason why you are following me?"

His smile faded completely.

"I didn't dream. I know what I saw in your living room, that box didn't fly out of nowhere."

She had to admit, this morning incident had bothered her more than she thought it would, but thankfully it didn't repeat itself. The only way she could figure out what was exactly happening though, was to meet a certain person again… Now if she could get rid of Jane…

"What's your theory?"

The blond man bit his lower lip in silent thought, and Lisbon knew she had made a good move. He, who never believed magic existed, who would never acknowledge its existence, was facing something he couldn't explain otherwise but by magic. She wondered what excuse he had made up to reassure his complex mind.

"I don't know what to think" he eventually admitted. "But I am pretty sure it has something to do with your time spent under Witness Protection. I hate it when you are hiding things from me. So I will discover what you don't want me to know."

The woman restrained a growl and had to hold back not to roll her eyes.

"You don't understand Jane, its way above you."

"Oh really? What do you mean?"

She threw him a nasty glare, mixed with a little bit of worry.

"You won't like it Jane, you can't do anything about it and it's my problem to solve."

The blond man didn't stop staring at her.

"So you _are_ hiding something from me" he whispered quietly. Lisbon closed her eyes and shook her head.

"It's for your own good. Now, will you leave me alone?"

The grin came back on his face. Although she could tell it was a little fake, she could read the determination in his eyes. The one telling her he was going to follow her –even stalk her like a lost puppy- till she revealed her secrets. _Great_, she thought.

Not only she had a psychopath longing for her death, she had to watch over the blond annoying consultant of hers. She just wished, as the speakers called to the passengers to walk on board, that this wouldn't end up like her dream.

* * *

**As usual, liked it? didn't like it? please let me know :3**

**In the meantime, t****hank you for reading so far!**

**Ps; for Guardian Angel's readers, I'm working on the chapter but having a little bit of troubles with the plot. It won't appear right away, sorry -_-"**


	6. Chapter 6

**Big news…THERE IS A MOUSE IN MY LIVING ROOM XD So tiny and cute, I saw it standing on the carpet eating something with its paws****…awww and it was gone in a blink of an eye lol. I swear, living in countryside DOES bring a few surprises xD**

**Anyway, new chapter here****, so I'll just shut up and let you read :3**

**Thanks to ****jasadin; ****xanderseye****, ****Jisbon4ever; ****Dubbers; ****The HongKonger;**** MentalistLover (glad you're enjoying it :3); ****1832TeaQL; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****Marie Knight Charmed225**** for their reviews ! Thanks for the alerts and favourite too!**

**And thanks to my half-beta for beta-ing this :D**

**Disclaimer; I only own my twisted imagination! Hope you will enjoy this :D (won't blame you if you don't ;3)**

* * *

**Payback's a Witch**

**6**

While it had been so bright and clear all afternoon, the sky out there was quickly darkening as the minutes passed. Despite people complaining about the inaccuracy of weather forecast, Lisbon knew the weather man wasn't at fault. Yes, she knew way better. Even though she wasn't an astrologer, the degradation of the weather was too fast to be natural, its speed made the change stood out. Plus, the pressure she had felt when stepping in the plane was unmistakable. Nancy was on board too, and smirking at her powerlessness, probably. Even worse, she could be anyone among the passengers. The sensation of being watched was overpowering and while Lisbon knew the witch wouldn't do anything before they were back in LA, given the message she left next to Bonnie and Rochelle's corpses, that didn't make the trip safer.

"Still deep into your thoughts my dear?"

The woman blinked twice before realising the old man who had been sitting next to her had vanished and been replaced by a proud-grinning Jane.

"Lisbon? Hellooo?" he went on, waving a hand before her face. Lisbon eventually snapped out of her reverie and glared at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought your seat was at the other side of the plane."

"Oh, I just had a little chat with mister Ribeiro here, and he readily agreed to exchange my first class ticket for his, especially since they mixed up my ticket and his lovely neighbour was my g-"

"I don't want to hear the end" she growled, rolling her eyes. He didn't have to finish his sentence, she had quite a good idea on how the man had convinced her former neighbour to… "Wait, did you say 'first-class ticket'? How did you get a hand on those? I thought there were only…"

Jane's secretive smile made her want to hit him, but being in a closed and public place, she restrained herself. Instead, she looked back out of the window and glanced at the airport staff charging the suitcases. At the rate which with the sky was darkening, they wouldn't be able to take off at all. The woman wasn't a specialist in aeronautic, but anyone could get that a delay was going to be planned if the weather –or rather Nancy- degraded more. _If _this was Nancy's doing, Lisbon corrected herself. She didn't know if the woman had gained her powers back.

"Sucks if wwe're stuck here for a while" Jane sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I don't mind much though, I got to get some quality time with you" he added with a wink.

The woman barely listened, wondered if she would still be able to counter the Nancy's spell,_ if_ this was her doing… The last time she had summoned Manon and created a lightening to scare off Bonnie and Rochelle, it hadn't taken more than a few seconds, and she was outside. But then, if this was a test her former friend was throwing at her… Lisbon sighed dryly. Test or not, if she didn't do –or at least tried to do- something about it, they would _never_ take off. And she wanted to close this case as soon as possible, so she could put it behind her.

"You're nervous."

Lisbon jumped, caught off guard. To her utter annoyance, she realised Jane was leaning _way too close._ His face was inches of hers now, and he had those proud-ish, sparkling eyes and that grin, a mixture of smug and slight worry he only used with her. His scent was faint, but noticeable and she had a hard time not closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

"And you're trying to give me a heart attack" she retorted dryly before narrowing her eyes at him. "Don't _ever_ do that again."

He pouted and whined:

"Aw Teresa… don't be mad!"

While he went on babbling and trying to get back in her bright side, the woman focused outside again. It had been so long since she hadn't used her powers. They had been bonded of course, and she didn't know she _could_ use them at all, even if she tried. But still, Lisbon concentrated, narrowed her eyes, and stared at the sky.

"Glaring at the sun won't make it appear you know" she heard her annoying consultant tease. The petite agent couldn't help but smirk -_If only he knew_…- before focusing again.

It didn't come easily -she blamed Lirio's spell for the lateness, but she felt the reaction. The small itching in her soul, informing her that something was happening within her, and outside as well. She concentrated harder on the sky. Jane said something smart in her back. Clouds started to move. He sighed and turned towards the young lady across his seat to flash a blinding smile at her. A ray of lighting pierced the sky. Lisbon had a hard time pulling back a triumphal smile and wondered if Jane would make some witty comment.

She was not disappointed. When the blond man turned back to check the weather outside, he frowned, a little surprised to see the slow reversal of dark to light.

"Ah, seems like mother nature decided to be clement on us" he muttered before eyeing Lisbon and adding on a dark, gloomy tone: "You _must_ have incredible powers to keep the rain at bait."

The twinkle in his eyes gave the joke away, but she still went along and replied nonchalantly:

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

He beamed; she returned the smile playfully and didn't try to back off when he picked up her hand to kiss its back. It was like a silent game between them. Jane would tease her, flirt a little to cheer her up and she would never voice it out loud but most of the time, his tactic would work just fine.

"Now you are feeling better." The blond man said. Lisbon frowned at his words, not quite understanding. "You were nervous earlier. Why?"

"Course not" she muttered immediately. Damn, only Jane would have this ability to make her forget her worries one second and have them rush back the next. Another wary glance at him, and she knew it was useless to deny anything under his piercing blue eyes: "Well, maybe… just a bit."

"We've taken the plane to LA before" he went on. _Oh yeah we did, but not under Nancy's threat_ she thought gloomily, "and I doubt you are going for family emergency. Your brothers live out-states. Teresa, what's going on?"

She didn't reply and looked away.

"I will find out eventually" he added on a softer tone. "So why don't you tell me instead of wasting your time hiding it from me?"

Truth be told, Lisbon was tempted to give in. Jane had been her closest friend up till now, and even though he didn't respect her privacy, she knew he would always be the first one she'd turn to in case of a trouble she couldn't fix. If she crossed his gaze with him right now, she would meet those perfect blue eyes longing for a real answer.

Over the years, she never thought she would ever meet someone like him. Jane was, to some extent, the kind of man she loved to have by her side. Charming, playful, butting heads against her –even though she hoped he _could_ avoid being so unruly at work- and yet, very gentle and caring at times, when he wanted to. He had seen her through dark moments, and she had seen him through his. Whatever she would tell him, she knew he would keep it to himself, if she asked him to.

His thumb was stroking the back of her hand slowly in encouragement. Did he feel her discomfort? The dwelling inside on whether she should be completely honest with him or keep one of her rare secrets with her? She bit her lower lip and turned back to face him. Honest eyes, hopeful and perhaps a little candid were staring at her. Those same eyes that had been hurt and clouded by burdens she would never dare imagine. Lisbon smiled tensely. Jane was barely coming out of that period where she would see the shadow of guilt lingering in his expression sometimes, still months after Red John's death.

Her worries couldn't burden him yet, it was still too early.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, merely offered a tensed smile. "I can't tell you."

Plus, what if he rejected her? What if he couldn't put up with her being a _witch_, and decided to turn his back on her? That was an option she wasn't ready to face yet. She would miss the little nothings they shared, the odd trust between them. Him possibly _abandoning_ her… she wasn't ready.

Jane sighed and dropped her hand. It turned oddly cold all of a sudden.

"I'm the one who's sorry. It seems like you don't trust me enough yet."

"It's not…" she started, immediately noticing the hurt tone.

"I will find out Teresa" he repeated, staring at her determinedly, and her protests were shut by the intensity of his gaze. "I will eventually find out, like it or not. I hate it when you feel you need to hide things from me."

And she hated _that_ intonation in his voice; the one telling her he was thinking that perhaps he was not… _worth_ her trust. Lisbon couldn't help reaching out for his hand and squeezing tightly.

"They're _my_ demons to face, Jane. You can't do anything about it."

He didn't reply, but she clearly saw the hint of disappointment in his eyes. Lisbon sighed and looked out again. For years, he had lied and tricked her on the account of his so-called revenge to keep her safe –or so he said. He, she thought, more than anybody should understand her position.

The captain announced through the speakers the plane would soon take off. Throughout the whole trip, none of them spoke, but he never let her hand go.

**-PW-**

The ride to the hotel was short, but long enough for Lisbon to get extremely annoyed with her consultant. The impulsive person he was, he hadn't booked a hotel before following her and had decided to stick with her and take one at the place she was staying. The woman had merely rolled her eyes in exasperation.

The hotel wasn't situated too far from the train station, and luckily, not far either from the place she used to live. A young lady named Diane –according to the tag on her shirt- welcomed them with a fake smile. At first glance, the agent could tell she wanted nothing more but her shift to end and go home.

"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?"

"Under Lisbon, please" the agent said and, caving at Jane's puppy eyes: "Do you have any rooms left?"

"I'm sorry there are no more rooms available and I doubt you'll find something for tonight in the area" the receptionist replied with a shrug. "Your room contains a double bed though…"

"Perfect!" the blond man's grin grew wider. "See Lisbon, we can share!"

"No way!" Lisbon barked, glaring at him. "Get to another hotel instead of squatting, sucker!"

She searched in her purse for her wallet in order to pay the room right away, but for some reason she couldn't find it. The woman frowned. She had never forgotten something so important, and had checked twice before leaving her apartment. Unless…

A quick glance at a grinning Jane told her everything she needed to know.

"You…" she growled warningly.

"I'll pay the room" the blond man cut immediately, handing _his_ credit card. The receptionist hesitated, and Lisbon knew that was a lost battle and nodded. As Diane busied herself with the payment, Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him and hissed:

"You really needed to steal my wallet?"

"Oh Lisbon, I know how much you like to cuddle with me in the morning and kiss me good-bye before leaving" he replied with a wink. The dark-haired woman had a hard time to restrain the red off her face. He wasn't sleeping that morning?

"Screw you" she eventually growled.

"By myself is hardly fun."

This time, Lisbon's cheeks flushed. A quick glance at the receptionist informed her that Diane was having a very hard time not smirking at their conversation and keeping a professional behaviour.

"Just pay the damn room already" the agent eventually snapped. "I'm tired and I want to sleep."

Jane sighed dramatically and took back his credit card and the key of their room, barely paying attention to the receptionist notifying them of the number.

"Oh Lisbon, Lisbon, you are no fun."

"I'm not here to have _fun_" she snorted, remembering herself why she had came at first place. If he noted the slight change of tone, he ignored it.

"Good grief, cheer up a little."

Diane stared at the couple bickering and, as they disappeared in the corner of a corridor, she grinned. She waited another few minutes before closing her eyes and sighing. Her short brown hair grew into long and blond, and when she opened her eyes again, they had taken a darker tone. Then, she picked up her cell phone and dialled a number. Even though the blond guy was not supposed to be there, everything else had worked out as expected.

The master would be pleased.

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**As usual, liked it? didn't like it? please let me know :3**

**Ps again; Guardian Angel is being beta-ed so supposedly not much long to wait :3**

**Thank you for reading so far!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hee, new chapter and next half done, Guess I'm in the mood for writing lately xD,**

**Thanks to winka; PetitJ; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever****; ****Heartwing****; ****Jisbon4ever****; T****he HongKonger****; ****1832TeaQL; ****Dubbers****; ****Chiisana Minako**** for their reviews :D thanks for the alerts and favourite too :3 **

**And thanks to my amazing half-beta for checking this :3**

**Disclaimer; I only own my twisted imagination! Hope you will enjoy this :D (won't blame you if you don't ;3)**

* * *

**Payback's a Witch**

**7**

That night, Lisbon had a hard time falling asleep. With Jane's fussing around with her and his witty reminders of all the night they were going to spend togetherd, it had been a miracle she hadn't skinned him alive or died out of embarrassment for him knowing she had...kissed him. It was just the forehead, but she knew how intimate the contact could be –for her and him- and they hadn't talked about it yet. Her desire to avoid this discussion was part of the reason why she was already dressed up and heading towards the bedroom door at six in the morning. It didn't work out as she wished it would though.

"You're going somewhere?"

His voice surprised her. He rested on his elbows, and she had a nice view of his bare chest. Damn, where did the man hid these nicely-shaped abs? Thankfully, she had enough self control not to ogle him shamelessly.

"I didn't build my schedule around you" she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. He grinned amusingly.

"Maybe, but I know you are more tempted to come back and crawl under the covers with me…" he added, rolling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh shut up Patrick" she replied, but not managing to restrain a soft smile; that was her Jane all right. His expression became serious again.

"I still want to know something before you leave. Why did you pretend you didn't recognise the two unidentified bodies? Weren't they the two women who came to visit you two –rather three days ago?"

Of course, count on Jane to take notes on details.

"You didn't see the pictures" Lisbon suddenly spoke up, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him. The man shrugged.

"Madeline showed them to me and asked if I happen to know if they were some of your acquaintances. No need to be a genius to recognise the leftovers of the clothes. Tell me Teresa, where had you met them before?"

Lisbon sighed and resigned to her fate of answering a few of his questions.

"You know I have been under WP a few months." He nodded. "I met them then. As you guessed, we were friends at first. Then things started to become… wrong. We had a disagreement once, and it… broke our friendship." The woman hesitated to say more, but decided she could tell the full story avoiding the magical subject. "There was a fourth girl, Nancy Downs. She took my… breaking up with them badly and led them in attempt to kill me."

Jane frowned deeply and stepped out of bed. Lisbon tried to persuade herself she did not follow appreciatively his bare chest as he came closer to her.

"What happened next?" he asked gently. The dark-haired woman had to blink a few times before realising he was speaking to her and replied automatically:

"Nancy was interned in a hospital for mental cases. I never heard of her or the two others since then."

"Do you think that Nancy is behind those two murders?"

Lisbon sighed. She didn't even need to answer that question; she _knew_ her former best friend was responsible.

"I don't know" she eventually replied, facing the blond man in the eye. "That's why I'm here. I want to find out."

He didn't answer. Instead, he cupped her cheek and let his thumb run over her mouth. She let him do it. She liked the warmth and comfort his hand delivered.

"I wonder what you did. How did you betray them, how deep enough to make them want to kill you?"

Lisbon escaped his grasp and looked away.

"If I tell you, I'll lose you" she whispered.

He stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wh… why?"

She couldn't face him. Especially not when her last words understated that he meant more to her than she ever said up till now.

"I told you before Patrick, its way above you. This isn't one tricky case you can pull stunts and manipulate everyone into following your schemes to win. There are laws that cannot be transgressed without consequences." The powers of Manon were not to make fun of. Nancy had made that mistake once, and she had been the one to repair the damages. Lisbon couldn't drag Jane into this mess. "I can't let you in this time."

"What if I want to get in? What if I want to know?" he stepped closer and brushed her cheek, an expression of mixed sadness and slight anger on his face. "What's the burden you're hiding Teresa? I promise I won't freak out."

If only he knew how scared she was. She wanted to trust him, and she did trust him, but not with _that_ truth.

"Please, tell me."

Lisbon closed her eyes and turned her back to him.

"You know I won't" she replied dryly. "Stop pushing me Jane."

He caught her arm and pulled him against her. His eyes had darkened in irritation but she didn't care. If making Jane angry at her meant him being safe, then that was what she'd do.

"You can't keep avoiding this subject with me forever Teresa. I almost lost you once; I am not leaving you again. Why can't you trust me?"

Once again, she didn't answer. And once again, he did something that took her completely off guard. He leant closer and closer, his face mere inches of hers. His pupils were dilated, and she knew hers must had been too.

"Why?" he whispered again, and his hot breath tickled her mouth. The longing to feel his lips over hers was becoming overpowering, and Lisbon slightly shut her lids, leaning forwards in turn. They were about to kiss when it hit her.

The feeling of being watched.

Lisbon suddenly pushed Jane away and looked around, panicked. How… how stupid of her! She shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have given in and let him try to kiss her! If Nancy was indeed observing her every move, then no doubt she knew now that the blond man was much more than a friend to her.

"I… I need to go. Talk to you later."

_If Nancy doesn't kill me first,_ she added to herself. She hurried towards the door, opened it quickly and hurried in the corridor. She had to put an end to this whole business _now_.

**-PW-**

Jane lay back on the mattress and sighed. This was not what he had expected from Agent Lisbon. As much as he loved trying to pierce all her secrets, for she had remained a mystery for a long time –and still was, this one seemed to be extremely tricky. At first, he had just thought the visit of these two particular old comrades had shaken her a little, but when she had knocked on his door in the middle of the night and hugged him like there was no tomorrow, he had started to suspect that whatever had pushed her to break ties with her friends was deeper than he originally thought.

Now, he knew Lisbon's 'secret' was not something she took lightly. It was something so deep and dark she wouldn't even spill the whole story to him. The blond man frowned again. She _should_ know he would eventually find out. That was his job after all, discovering secrets, right? And whether she knew it or not, she had tipped him off a little more each time she mentioned that incident, giving small information, pieces of a puzzle for him to solve. A few points were escaping him though. What had she done to anger other teenagers so much? What was the thing she wasn't telling him? Given her earlier reaction, this Nancy Downs _was_ behind these murders; then why did she refuse to tell Hightower about the connexion?

He had never seen her so… scared. Like a frightened animal, about to get crushed by a predator. Her pride would no doubt forbid her to accept any kind of protection, but still… could it be related to drugs, prostitution, or something along those lines? That would make perfect sense and then no wonder why she wouldn't be keen on mentioning it. But still, she knew she could trust him with that kind of information, didn't she?

Another point that bothered him, yet that he hadn't dare mention to her, the flying box in her apartment and how suddenly the weather had cleared at the airport. He wasn't stupid. He knew she had been as surprised as him, but not the same _kind_ of surprise. He couldn't place the finger on a reasonable explanation, aside from that nagging thought that would keep on whispering that maybe, _maybe_ it had something to do with… the supernatural. Thinking about it, the use of magic would be the most obvious answer. That would explain her strange behaviour, her discourse on rules that mustn't be transgressed or other sentences he hadn't completely understood.

What if Teresa Lisbon… was a witch?

Jane pushed the thought away immediately, frowning at himself for even thinking about it. Magic did not exist. There was always a trick, or a rational explanation behind strange events. A little conspiracy theories added to the weakness of human mind and things were immediately catalogued as supernatural. No, he said firmly to himself, magic did not exist, Lisbon was not a witch and he was a fool for having that thought.

Still, it would be the most logical explanation…

Grumbling to himself, Jane stepped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. The water helped him cool his mind and focus on essential details and searched for a place to start. He knew little about Nancy Downs, so he needed more information about her. Perhaps a little digging on those two dead women could help him understand the full length of this business. Stepping out of the shower, Jane grabbed his phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Hello Grace? Yeah, it's me" he said on a cheerful tone. "Listen, could you please do me a favour? I need to do a little research…"

**-PW-**

It wasn't until someone knocked at the door that he realised it was already nightfall.

A little earlier, the victims had been identified and a link had been made between them and Lisbon. Same high-school when she was under Witness Protection, just as Lisbon had confessed earlier. While the senior agent was proven innocent of their crime –it occurred while she was still at the office and couldn't have possibly done it- Hightower had been extremely clear in her intentions on bringing back Lisbon on the case, or at least, giving her some protection. And when he had mentioned the name of Nancy Downs, he had been stunned to learn the woman had been dead for a while. When Van Pelt had asked him why he was interested in her, the blond man had merely replied he would call back and hung up.

That was seriously compromising his theories. Was Lisbon really chasing a ghost, or someone else? The whole day had been spinning so fast, he hadn't realised thinking had took him so long. No wonder why he had such a headache.

The knock became more insistent and Jane stood up, walked to the door and opened it. He blinked in surprise when he recognised his visitor.

"Lisbon?" he asked, frowning yet. "I thought you took the key… oh well, did you find what you wanted?"

The woman shrugged and stepped in.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot them somewhere on the way. And no, not yet. Guess I'll have to search better tomorrow."

Jane stared at her, slightly puzzled by her attitude. The woman looked completely different from this morning, a lot more relaxed and… somehow nonchalant in a un-Lisbon kind of way. Some nagging feeling warned him something was dead wrong, but he shook it away. Lisbon was investigating on her side about a past… 'case'. Of course she would act a little odd.

Suddenly, she turned towards him, caught his collar, brought him down and kissed him hard. At first caught off guard, Jane didn't react immediately and didn't oppose any resistance when she pushed him back on the bed and straddled his hips comfortably, her lips not leaving his.

"Lis-" he tried to speak before being hushed by her mouth again.

"You're spoiling the fun" she whispered huskily.

Another hot kiss was exchanged, during which Jane found it rather easy to clear his thoughts. This woman looked like Lisbon; she smelt like Lisbon, wore Lisbon's clothes of this morning but something was amiss. When they parted a second time, he immobilised her head in his hands and stared at her straight in the eyes.

"Answer this question" he asked seriously. "What's my name?"

The woman grinned wickedly and took his hands off her face, pinning them on the mattress.

"What are you playing at? Don't you like this?"

That did it for Jane. He didn't want to believe it at first, but…

"You are not Lisbon."

Her grin widened even more and she pulled back, not getting off his hips.

"Nice, sweetie. Your mind is too complicated to follow, even for me… but very nice for someone who isn't a _believer_. And I was hoping for some fun."

Jane tried to straighten but realised he couldn't. For some reason, his limbs wouldn't obey him anymore. Fear started to creep inside as he watched the fake Lisbon snicker in amusement.

"What have you done to me? Who are you?"

He could only stare in dread as she pulled out a shining blade out of her pants and pointed it at him.

"Sorry sweetie" she grinned wider. "But tonight, you're gonna die."

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**As usual, liked it? didn't like it? please let me know :3**

**In the meantime, thank you for reading so far!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Me again :3 Nothing much to say this time either (aside that weather is a B- though I won't complain since I'll be stuck in a train for 5 hours today -_-) and sorry for not reviewing to everyone –short on time (I'll do better next time -_-") **

**Thanks to Winka; ****Dubbers; ****Mental-Fan; ****MentalistLover; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****1832TeaQL; ****The HongKonger; ****Amy; ****Jisbon4ever; ****Marie Knight; ****PetitJ**** for their reviews :3 Thanks for the alerts and favourite too :D**

**And thanks to my half-beta for beta-ing this :)**

**Disclaimer; I only own my twisted imagination! Hope you will enjoy this :D (won't blame you if you don't ;3)**

* * *

**Payback's a Witch**

**8**

Lisbon hurried on her way. She wasn't running, but wasn't taking her time either. She needed to get back her powers full force, and only one person could lift the bind she had begged for so many years earlier. The streets had changed since that time. The old, dirty shops had, for the most part, been replaced by more modern structure. The road had been renovated and a few quarters changed. The woman winced, hoping Lirio's shop hadn't changed its location, or she would be in big trouble.

Fortunately, the old worn-out shop was still in the back of that isolated alley. A black panel informed her it was closed for the day, but she ignored the sign and pushed the glassed door to step inside. All of a sudden, the woman felt pulled back twenty years earlier, when she had first set a foot in a place where magic lived and breathed. The shelves were about as dusty, candles, books on witchcraft and other artefacts used for rituals were still abundantly spread around the room, perfectly organised. Lisbon bit her lower lip worriedly, wondering if it had been right to come back. Lirio was an old woman now; could she risk Nancy's wrath on her too? Some little voice in her head whispered it was too late anyway.

"Excuse-me ma'am, but we're closed. You should leave now."

An unknown voice made her jump and Lisbon turned to face whoever had entered the shop in turn. A teenager, perhaps in her fifteens, was now standing behind the counter. Brown-haired, black eyes, rather thin and eyeing her fiercely. She had that taunting look people her age possessed, narrowed eyes and a slight smirk, often appearing when rebellious teenagers knew they were in their right, and their challenger was wrong. Lisbon didn't have time to waste with her though.

"I need to speak with Lirio" the dark-haired woman said immediately. "It's urgent."

The teenager narrowed her eyes even more. Was that venom the agent could read in her expression?

"Lirio's dead" she replied dryly. Lisbon's blood froze in horror. No. No way.

"Wh… when?" she still managed to utter.

"She passed away a few days ago. That's why the shop's closed for the week. Now I advise you to get out."

Lisbon was about to reply when another women stepped in the scene. This time, the agent immediately recognised the features belonging to the witch she used to know, yet wasn't there anymore. The newcomer was slightly younger than Lisbon herself, but held in her eyes the serenity she had once caught in Lirio's. The woman was undoubtedly her daughter.

"Rioli, this is no way to speak to a client" her mother chided, perfectly calm. "How can we help you?"

"She came to see Grams" Rioli snorted. "Kinda late for that."

The newcomer's face tensed slightly at the mention of the deceased. Lisbon got over her shock and murmured with genuine compassion:

"I… I'm sorry for your loss."

The woman smiled weakly and she nodded in thanks.

"Thank you. May I ask how did you come to know Lirio? I don't remember seeing you around here."

Lisbon hesitated a second. She had thought the older witch to be alive, and the disappointment was huge. Still, she couldn't get her full powers back without some help. She didn't know to what extent the woman could help her though.

"Lirio bonded my powers twenty years ago upon my request" the agent started slowly. "I came back to undo it. I… need them back. Another witch is threatening to harm my closest friends; I can't… let her do it."

The woman stared at her for a while, before eventually replying on a softer tone:

"My name is Lina. I know your story, Teresa Lisbon. Lirio told me you might come back one day." She paused before adding: "She taught me the ritual to counter the opened barrier. I can unbind you, if you have no objections."

Lisbon fidgeted nervously. While she trusted Lirio to some point, she had no idea if she could do the same with her daughter. They were two different people despite their serene expression and trusty eyes. She had learnt to recognise _the_ Patrick Jane's feelings when he was wearing a mask, but it didn't mean that knowledge was relevant with every people she met. But then, it wasn't like she really had the choice.

"All right" the brunette whispered, nodding slowly. "Thank you."

**-PW-**

When Lisbon opened her eyes again, she almost gagged; her head was spinning wild and her whole body was arching in pain. What had happened? She remembered entering the small room behind the heavy curtain, kneeling in the middle of the pentacle on the ground, when Lina had started chanting her spell. She had felt the awakening, the rebirth of her powers, the emergence of a huge amount of energy she wasn't sure she could control. Then, she had held her head as a headache ever Jane couldn't trigger spread though her mind and after… nothing.

The agent glanced around and noted a few things; she was lying on the ground and the room was chilly, so time must have passed since the incantation. When she hoisted herself on her elbows, she realised the altar had been overturned and the hundred of candles were spread on the ground. Lina was half-lying against the wall, her body limp and eyes closed. A sudden fear made Lisbon rush to her side and check her pulse. To her relief, the woman was still alive; just knocked off. She still took her cell phone and dialled 911 just in case. Then, she tried to stand up.

Her fuzzy mind didn't allow her to stay stable and she had to lean against the wall a few moments. When her mental functions were working about normally, Lisbon toddled in the main room and glanced around. The shop was intact, but the window of the door and glassed pots had all cracked up under some pressure. She vaguely wondered if the return of her powers had anything to do with it and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, her instinct sent her a warning and she glanced through the glassed door again. The darkness outside announced nightfall, and after checking her watch –cracked too, damn- walked outside. Sirens of ambulances resonated in the afar. The streets were deserted (so, no _close_ danger). Was Nancy watching her right now? Did she know Lisbon had tried to get her powers back? The petite brunette didn't want to test it now, by fear the experiment would result in something drastic. She knew she had them. She could _feel_ them in her veins. But at the same time, something was happening and she couldn't put her finger on what could be wrong. One name popped up immediately in her mind.

Jane.

Who was still alone in their hotel room.

_Oh shit__!_

She ran. Lisbon ran like she had never ran in her whole life, faster, she was sure, than during competitions with the race club she belonged to in high school and somehow, within ten minutes, she reached the hotel. Lisbon didn't take a second to stop at the reception, and ran up the staircase directly to their room. When she tried to open it, the handle resisted and she barely forgot to pick up the key. Her hands were shaking when she turned the handle the second time and entered, shutting the door behind her.

The scene before her left her dumbstruck. She could see… herself, straddling a panicked Jane and holding a knife high above him. Anger flooded through her veins and, stretching her hand in the direction of the two, Lisbon screamed:

"_Get away from him you bitch!"_

The effect was immediate. A powerful wave of wind swept the whole room and hit her double in the back, throwing her on the other side of the bed. Jane jumped off the mattress in a matter of seconds and ran to join her.

"Are you the real Lisbon?" he asked, and if she hadn't been so furious, the woman would have laughed out loud. Instead, Lisbon walked towards the standing up impostor, firmly prepared to fight whoever she was. The fake Lisbon grinned at her sight and purred:

"Long time no see, Sarah."

The agent didn't even blink an eye.

"Nancy."

Her fake-self was wearing a very deranging grin, but Lisbon had no desire to smile. Right now, she wished she had taken her gun to shoot the crazy woman and put an end to the hecatomb she was leaving in her trail.

"You have a knack for picking them" the witch went on, chuckling hysterically. "I mean, I didn't get the chance to sleep with him" she said, nodding towards Jane "But he must be a hell of a fucker. Too bad he is actually smart."

"Leave him out of this" Lisbon hissed, narrowing her eyes. "Don't even think of touching him. Don't even think of looking at him and _stop laughing like a freaking maniac_!"

Nancy obeyed and pouted.

"Aww really, Sarah, shall I remind you, you are the one who made everyone think _I_ was a lunatic."

"You tried to kill me" Lisbon said coolly. That made the madwoman's face tick.

"And you BETRAYED us, Sarah! You couldn't make up your mind like the poor baby you were, and now you're still hiding behind a badge? You haven't changed sweetie."

"_Shut up!_" the agent yelled, ready to explode. She didn't even have to think of it; a second wave, triggered by the boiling anger inside, blew Nancy against the wall again, and this time, sent her directly through the window. The glasses opened on their own, leaving a wide open space for her to fall, and Lisbon could just watch the witch topple over the frame with a surprised expression on her face. A loud laugh echoed in the night, and when the agent ran to the window to check what was happening, there were no traces left. Nancy had disappeared, once again.

**-PW-**

No words had been pronounced since the madwoman had flown out of the room. Lisbon and Jane had mostly concentrated their efforts on tidying up the hotel room before any manager showed up and kicked them out for breaking everything. At least, Lisbon thought grimly, the glass of the windows hadn't been touched. That would have been a pain to explain. She sighed. Speaking of explaining, how was she supposed to face the blond man now? He had witnessed her use of magic powers –willingly and uncontrollably- against someone else, and hadn't said a word since then. His skin was paler than usual, and she suspected his need to pick up what was left of the porcelain vase a diversion to gather his thoughts.

On the bright side, if he did freak out, he would probably jump into the next plane and fly away to San Francisco. At least, stay away from her long enough for her to deal with Nancy. He hadn't spoken for half an hour, so she was slightly caught off guard when he started:

"I only have one question Lisbon" he said on a stern tone. The woman didn't stop picking up the fallen clothes and putting them in the opened suitcase; as if the last thing she wanted to do was to face him.

"Are you a… are you a witch?"

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**As usual, liked it? didn't like it? please let me know :3**

**In the meantime, thank you for reading so far!**


	9. Chapter 9

**There is one great thing in summer, the sun. There is one annoying thing in summer, f****lies. Especially when they keep running over my legs while I'm typing on the keyboard -_-. Anyway, sorry for the long update ^^". I'll try to make it quicker next time :P**

**Thanks to ****The HongKonger****; ashley (**thanks for letting me know you like it :3**); winka ; ****Marie Knight; ****PetitJ; ****1832TeaQL; ****Dubbers; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever, ****giggleplex1**** for their reviews. Thanks for the alerts and favourite too :D**

**And thanks to my half beta for beta-ing this, even though she is travelling :D**

**I only own my twisted imagination! Hope you will enjoy this :D (won't blame**** you if you don't :p)**

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**Payback's a Witch**

**9.**

"_I only have one question Lisbon" he said on a stern tone. The woman didn't stop picking up the fallen clothes and putting them in the opened suitcase; as if the last thing she wanted to do was to face him. "Are you a…__ witch?" _

**-PW-**

The petite agent smirked at his question. He, the mighty Patrick Jane, was hesitating about that small detail? The obvious had been revealed to him half an hour ago, why was he still questioning the accuracy of his very eyes?

"You saw what happened tonight" she replied, not even bothering to turn back to answer. "You know the answer to that."

He remained silent, and Lisbon didn't have the guts to turn around and face him. She already had a hard time keeping her heartbeat at steady pace, what would it be if she met those eyes? What would she read in them? Fear? Disgust? Jane didn't believe in supernatural, it would be likely that he denied everything. But with the very proof she had powers, could he still handle the news? He took a step closer.

"What happened with Nancy Downs? What have you done to her to make her feel so keen of revenge? It was her who attacked us, am I right?"

Lisbon straightened her back. She should have expected him not to abandon this easily.

"None of your business" she replied dryly, turning to narrow her eyes at him.

"Teresa, someone I don't remember having angered – for once related to you, tried to kill me" he reminded her coldly. "I just want to know why. You don't want to tell me, so I have to figure it out by myself somehow, just like the rest. Though given that you are both… witches, I guess it's related to witchcraft?"

The agent sighed annoyingly. He was right of course. He had the right to know. But it didn't change the fact he was undoubtedly going to freak out.

"Nancy Downs… I was part of what witch call a coven. The girls –Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle- needed a forth witch to complete the circle and when I showed up, they… enrolled me, by befriending me. I left them after Chris died because I… I witnessed when Nancy killed him." Teresa sighed and shook her head. "She was trying to get back at him for dumping her, using my appearance to deceive him and… anyway, she got mad and… pushed him throughout the window using her powers. I just got scared of our powers and broke up with them. Nancy… wasn't happy about that. That's why she went after me. In the end, I managed to send her to a mental institute and scare the two others off with a warning. They lost their powers after Nancy's downfall."

The woman paused in her tale, trying to catch an emotion on the consultant's face. To her annoyance, Jane's face remained blank and impassive. She breathed in deeply before continuing:

"Last week, Bonnie and Rochelle showed up to seek protection against Nancy." Lisbon paused and glanced at him: "She faked her death, I am sure of it now. Somehow she gained her powers back and is planning revenge on me. That's why I didn't want you to come with me. You are not a wizard; you can't do anything against her. No-one can, except for me or another witch."

The blond man kept staring at her wordlessly. If she read the glint in his eyes correctly, then he was processing the new data in his complicated mind and trying to build his own conclusion, and find an appropriate reaction. After what seemed hours, he eventually spoke up:

"The least I can say is that when you plan something, you do it big. So that madwoman wants revenge on you, I get it. What puzzles me though is; why is she attacking _me_? I don't remember having a say in this whole matter…"

"Damn it Jane, you of all people should know why!" Lisbon suddenly spitted angrily. Was that man so damn oblivious? "She wants to destroy me just like Red John tried to destroy you! She's hurting the man that I love to get to me!"

The words had barely left her mouth that she shut it tight and cursed herself for letting them go. This was not helping, especially when Jane looked thunderstruck. Lisbon couldn't help but wonder with faint amusement if he was more shocked by her revelation of being a witch or her slip of the tongue.

"You… love me?"

The agent snorted at his question and crossed her arms, avoiding his straightforward look.

"You are very good at picking up others' feelings, but when it concerns me, you don't realise such things? Yes, Patrick Jane, I care for you and I love you. Everyone knows at CBI –heck even Rigsby was bold enough to ask me if we were dating!" Jane shifted position on his feet, suddenly ill-at-ease. "The only one who didn't notice was you."

Her tone was soft, perhaps a bit reproachful, but not accusative. If she was honest with herself, Lisbon would have recognised she hadn't realised these feelings before Red John made her come to terms with them. What happened that day was only her and Jane's to know. The official, cold version of Jane's kidnapping plus her shooting in self-defence was safer. No need for details of her _conversation_ with the well-known killer.

The blond man had kept staring at her incredulously, and had she not been caught up in the… solemnity of it all, the woman would have laughed of rending the Patrick Jane speechless. At some point, Lisbon eventually noticed that something red was sliding along his temple. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted a light scratch on his skull, not very deep, but deep enough to make him bleed.

"Patrick you have a graze…"

She reached out, aiming to brush his face but to her utter horror, he flinched. The unmistakable small step back when she moved her fingers forwards, plus the glint in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. Her heart broke. He was scared of her. He was scared and would likely… If he walked out on her, she wouldn't bear it. In this case, she had to walk out first.

**-PW-**

Jane knew the moment Lisbon's expression turned blank that he had hurt her. The vulnerability she involuntarily showed in a flash in her eyes, the pulling back of her hand, right after she confessed probably her two most secretive secrets. She was a witch. And she loved him.

He didn't know what had taken him when she had leant forwards. Perhaps in his subconscious, the image of Lisbon straightening out her hand, sending a powerful wave against her double, was too strong to be fought. His instinct had acted on its own, before he could definitively record the information 'Lisbon is no threat'. Although the man knew he could be excused for that tiny little action (after all, people rarely get bombed by this kind of revelation within five minutes) Jane felt incredibly stupid about it. There was nothing to fear. This was Lisbon after all.

And because she _was_ Lisbon, she was about leave. Walk out the door, and likely never come back. Her feelings were hurt, and he knew her too well not to anticipate her next move. She would go to find Nancy. Fight her. If she survived, return to CBI. And never address to him again. Not like before.

If he didn't catch her now…

"Teresa, wait!" She kept moving towards the door. "Wait, you can't leave!"

That stopped her for a second. When she spoke, despite trying to hide it, he clearly heard the hurt in her tone:

"Oh yeah? You're scared of me. And it's no use to hide your hands, I can see your arms shaking."

"Teresa I'm sorry" he went on, stepping closer, clenching his hands so they remained still. "Please just wait…"

"For what?" she asked, this time turning to face him. Despite his nervousness, the guilt ran back full force at the sight of the tears she was trying hard to conceal. All those years denying who she really was, and everything was just jumping back at her face. Jane cursed again his earlier momentary lack of self-control; he should have known the woman would back up for fear of being hurt. "You are terrified. Don't try one of your games to stop me."

"It's not a game to me."

Then, Lisbon had that smile. That sad, resigned smile, telling him everything he needed to know. She didn't believe him. She wasn't even trying. He knew he had to do something, and quick, especially when she turned to the door and touched the handle. If she ever stepped out of the bedroom now…

He caught the dark-haired woman's shoulder, made her face him and pinned her back to the door. His hands held her wrist tightly above her head to prevent her from struggling too much. Her green eyes were staring at him wide opened in surprise. Jane couldn't come up with something to say. While he did not want to scare her off, he also wanted to make her understand his words were true. He regretted flinching, he regretted stepping away, he regretted… hurting her. So instead of talking, he acted on instinct and followed his impulse.

He kissed her.

It was just a brush of his lips, but Lisbon could feel him trembling. When he pulled back, she stared at him in complete disbelief.

"What the… what was that for Jane? Let me go" she said, trying to struggle out of his grip. His hold tightened over her wrists and he pressed further into her with unexpected strength.

"No, I can't" came his hoarse reply.

His body was still shaking a little, so he closed his eyes a few seconds before leaning in her neck and breathing her scent. Cinnamon. This was Lisbon, his sweet Lisbon. His lips brushed the skin of her neck gently. Her breathing pattern had accelerated and he could feel her puzzlement and tensing body against his. The fact she was… nervous made him feel better. Jane knew Lisbon was far from being invincible, but _sensing_ her anguish helped him remember she was still a woman with weaknesses and not some strong indestructible alien. This was just a new deep secret he had found out. A freaking huge secret, but he would deal with it.

"Why?" she whispered.

To her disappointment, he stopped his exploration and came to rest his forehead against hers. There, Lisbon caught the best close-up she ever had of his eyes, and found them… mesmerizing, as always.

"Because I have wanted to do this for a long time. Because I love you too." She shut her lids at his words, and Jane suspected she desperately refused to listen to him. That perhaps, and he felt a hint of anger at that thought, she thought he was playing with her new-founded confession to keep her. "And if I let you step out of this door right now" he whispered against her mouth: "I'll lose you."

His lips were over hers again, teasing, testing for a reaction. Jane was determined and focused on her; wanting to send a message, to tell her he wasn't going to walk out on her. He would be there. He would be there, right where they both wanted him to be. Despite her attempts to throw him out, despite his flaws and fears…

"I'm sorry" he repeated between two touches. "I promise I won't freak out again, so please don't leave. I promise, please don't leave."

His voice was raw and genuine, slightly begging. Lisbon didn't reply, merely opened her eyes and stared at him. She didn't want to hope yet; she didn't want to trust his words so readily. If he backed up eventually, she didn't know how she would ever bring her heart back into pieces. The blond man hadn't realised it, but if he broke her, she would have no-one to turn to.

Jane didn't look away. He needed her to understand he would never leave. Leaning forward once again, he hoped he would eventually get a reaction from her.

This time, Lisbon kissed him back.

**-PW-**

When her cell phone woke her up, Lisbon knew she hadn't been sleeping for so long. The soreness and tiredness in her whole body confirmed the thought and she tentatively stretched to grab the ringing nuisance. She had barely touched it that it turned silent. The woman whined in annoyance and rolled on her back, trying to get back to sleep.

Something was odd though. As if a piece in the environment was missing. Her left hand sought out blindly the other side of the mattress. Warmish spot.

Jane.

She opened her eyes immediately and straightened in the bed. The digital clock on the bedside indicated it was close to 1 am, but no lights were on and the room was completely silent.

"Patrick?" she called out tentatively. No response. Her heartbeat accelerated slightly in wonder. "Patrick?" she called louder, stepping out of the bed.

He couldn't have left her, could he? Not after everything he'd said, not after those heated longing looks he gave her after their first round, not after his touch…

Lisbon turned the light on. His stuff was still in the suitcase over there, but the suit he was wearing earlier this day was gone. Nothing on the table, or the bedside table. Glancing for the second time, she noticed there was a piece of paper. The woman sighed in half-relief and picked it up. Her face fell when she read it. Every trace of worry was erased and replaced by a burning anger. Lisbon crushed the piece of paper and willed it to burn into ashes. Then, she turned towards her clothes and started to get dressed, the two sentences boiling deep in her mind.

"_Hope yo__u enjoyed your night cause that was the last time. Your old place, 3 am or he's dead."_

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**As usual, liked it? didn't like it? please let me know :3**

**In the meantime, thank you for reading so far!**


	10. Chapter 10

**SOSOSO sorry I know, I suck at updating lately =-=****" Plus this chapter took me forever because I have little practice in describing fights and such…Hope you'll enjoy it anyway ^^" (ah, and sorry for the lack of review replies, I'm a bit short on time lately ^^")**

**Thanks to ****ashley; PetitJ; ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****1832TeaQL; ****giggleplex1;**** (anonymous) for their reviews :D Thanks for the alerts and favourite too!**

**And thanks to my half-beta for (kicking my a-) poking me into writing and checking this :3**

**Disclaimer: I only own my twisted imagination. Hope you'll enjoy this :) –won't blame you if you don't :3**

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**Payback's a Witch**

**10**

It was cold, dark and foggy, just like in the premises of her dream. The alley was dirty and she could easily come across rats and mice in the gutter. Lisbon repressed a shiver and tightened her hold on her leather jacket. Her old home wasn't so far away now but she didn't have much time. She still had fifteen minutes to be there... inside her head, she let out a silent prayer.

_Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay…_

The last time she had come around, the neighbourhood was clean and quiet. A nice place to live with your family. Now, the place had drastically changed and a huge, dirty factory stood where houses used to stand. Lisbon froze when she got to the middle of the alley. This was not a mere resemblance; this was the place she had dreamt of. Rising her head to look further down, she spotted a lonely figure walking towards her. At first glance, she couldn't make out the gender or characteristics of the newcomer, especially when the fog drew a thick curtain between them. Soon enough, the woman recognised a long, black leather coat, heavy goth-like jewellery over the arms, a pale face, and older, but familiar features. Twenty years had passed, but Lisbon knew she would recognise Nancy Downs anywhere.

Behind the woman, another character was following faithfully. Despite the bad weather, the agent recognised her almost immediately. Rioli, Lirio's granddaughter. She didn't have much time to wonder about her presence here, for Nancy stopped about twenty feet away from her, the insane grin deforming her usually impassable face.

"Nice to meet you after all these years, _Sarah_. Too bad we have to meet under these circumstances. You never paid me a visit."

Lisbon didn't blink.

"Where is Jane?" she asked on a firm, strong voice. The madwoman snorted.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'll tell you in time."

"What do you want?" the agent continued, ignoring her answer. She needed to keep talking, or she felt she would lose it. Keep her mind busy, and try to take a confession out of the woman. As she expected, Nancy lost every trace of humour and she narrowed her eyes, suddenly lightened with pure hatred.

"You locked me in a mental institute for YEARS, and you still ask me what I WANT?"

A sudden wave of wind hit Lisbon and threw her against the nearest wall. She hit the bricks hard before falling on the ground, her head pounding and back aching. Sound of footsteps coming closer made her raise her head. Bad idea. The black-dressed woman gave her a kick in the jaw. Nancy stood over her, eyes blasting in fury.

"You are going to PAY for it."

**-PW-**

If anything, Nancy had grown stronger over the past twenty years. While Lisbon had more experience in hand-to-hand fight, she could hardly avoid the magic blows the woman was sending against her. Three blasts had forced her to hide behind a dumpster, and the container was quickly dissembling, not leaving her the chance to focus and use her own powers. Obviously, the witch had been training these past years. Dark clouds started to gather in the sky, rain started to fall. Nancy was planning to thunderstruck the dumpster, but she could perform the same attack. Lisbon called the lightening to strike a pipe nearby the witch. Both came at the same time.

Lisbon jumped out of behind her hideout one second before the dumpster was hit. The blinding light made her dizzy for a few seconds, but she kept her eyes open to witness the consequences. As she hoped, the iron pipe next to the other witch exploded and drenched her, distracting her efficiently. The agent used that momentary distraction to make a run and knock her down. Nancy hadn't even realised that she was approaching quickly and as silently as she could. But before Lisbon could get to her, Nancy became immobile, her eyes wide open, and she fell like a string-cut puppet. Behind her unconscious body, Jane was panting heavily, holding a rusty pipe in his hands. A huge burden was relieved from Lisbon's shoulders. His clothes were in tatter and dirty and his eyes were hazy and disoriented, but overall he looked fine. _Unscathed_.

"Lisbon?" his hoarse voice made her want to cry in relief. "What… Where am I? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later" she replied, taking deep breaths and leaning forward when he stepped closer. "Are you okay?"

He took her in his arms and held her tight. The agent hugged him back, too happy to see he was fine. But when she pressed her face in his clothes… it felt _odd_. This wasn't his usual cologne, but rather… Lisbon jumped back, but just a little too late. The blade of a dagger cut her on the side deep and the Jane she was facing grinned widely before turning into a dark-haired, dark-eyed Nancy Downs. A quick glance at the woman she had been fighting previously, and the agent realised with horror that Rioli's body was now lying motionless on the ground.

"Too bad, she wasn't me." Nancy laughed, watching Lisbon toddle and fall against a wall. Her palm was now covered with her own blood and her side hurt like hell. Just like so many years before, she pressed her hand over the wound –or where she guessed it was; her mind was turning numb, but this wasn't the first time she had been hurt in Nancy's presence. Although she needed more time to heal. She needed to find somewhere to do so, and quick.

Lisbon concentrated as she went through the wall to hide. On the other side, she was greeted by an empty room, filled of industrial dust and scent. Not the wisest place to stay when recovering, but she couldn't be picky right now. Lisbon forced herself up and toddled towards an iron board, large enough to cover her in case her enemy decided to show up.

Remembering the words that had saved her once, she breathed in deeply and, closing her eyes, started the chant.

**-PW-**

Nancy looked around, starting to get bored. Lisbon had disappeared about five minutes ago, and showing no sign of coming back.

"C'mon Sarah…" she muttered, looking around. She had no doubt the woman would show up again. After all, her boyfriend was at her mercy, and the life of an… innocent was at stake. Nancy glanced at the teenager lying on the ground. She had promised to Rioli she would kill her if she failed her mission –which she did. But she wanted her wide awake when the time would come, no soft killing in her sleep. That would be absolutely no fun. Just like Sarah. What was the fun in kicking a wounded puppy anyway? She'd rather have her in full shape to beat her better…

Another sigh and she stared at the place the other woman had disappeared. Sarah, or Teresa Lisbon, whatever her name was. A puff of anger ran throughout her veins. When she met her at the Catholic School, she knew immediately the fair-headed was special. She _felt_ it. So when Sarah had been made fun of, she had welcomed her in the circle with arms wide open. She trusted her, even created a coven with her. They were _SISTERS_! But Sarah eventually had to change her mind about the Craft. She had to leave, because she was just another coward, refusing the _gift_ that was given to her. Just like the witches who betrayed their sisters in the past, she _deserved_ to die. The dagger she held that day, twenty years prior, had found its way back to her hands again, ready to strike the traitor.

Just like the two others, the two who had left her behind. Rochelle and Bonnie, she realised it now, were mere easy followers. Not enough faith to stick till the end, easily scared off by Sarah's magic. When things threatened their lives, they would just run away. Or beg for it. When she had raised her hand before setting them on fire, both women were on their knees, crying and pleading for their lives. Thinking of it, she had gotten no real satisfaction in ending their lives. The one who inspired her… pure hate, was Sarah. At the same time, she surprised herself in finding some respect for the traitor. At least, Sarah hadn't run away. She hadn't denied her faults, her betrayal, yet was still trying to put an end to her actions. Needless to say, since last time she had seen her, the frail, scared and pathetic girl had grown up a bit. And Nancy would enjoy fully making this façade fall into pieces. First, the agents that pretended to be her parents, to make the guilt rise. Second, the boyfriend, a perfect aim to the heart. And last… she could already feel the edge of her blade penetrating and tearing the flesh apart. Very entertaining.

Now, if only Sarah decided to show up…

**-PW-**

The agent eventually came back by the way she disappeared. Manon had agreed to help her again and it had healed her as well. She could still feel his presence in her head. Hear his request, getting rid of the woman who had twice abused of his power. Her sudden appearance made the other witch laugh out loud.

"As I expected from little Sarah" Nancy mocked when she saw her complete healing, stepping closer with her dagger in hand. "You can't do anything by yourself, you always have to call the bigger shots to help you out."

Lisbon didn't pick up on the provocation. There was something she needed to know first.

"How did you get your powers back?"

The witch grinned, highly amused, and purred:

"Thanks to my lovely apprentice. You see, Rioli got… frustrated when her own grandmother refused to teach her how to use magic. Stupid, since she had a great power… more than you have, sweetie. She figured out where I was, freed me from your already weakening spell and helped me get out of here… I pretended to be her master for the past years and taught her everything she needed to know… I promised her a great amount of powers if she helped me in my revenge… but since I was powerless, I needed to get it from somewhere. Manon wouldn't grant me my wish, since last time I abused his power…"

"So you stole Lirio's powers" Lisbon said slowly. "You killed her!"

No wonder why Manon was angrier this time.

"Actually" Nancy said nonchalantly. "Rioli killed her for me. But that old woman was soon to be dead as she helped you in the past. Might as well die for what she did and be useful to me at the same time. And Rioli also tried to interrupt the ceremony of your… returning powers. But it failed." Lisbon frowned, remembering how messy the altar was when she woke up. "That's why I let her fight you first under my appearance, knowing you'd eventually beat her." The witch's eyes flared. "You have so much power and Manon obviously favours you… Little avenger, battling for the good cause… And yet you're not even capable of protecting the people you love."

The agent suddenly had the urge to throw herself at the woman and end the confrontation right then, but more important matters were at stake. Nancy's words had reminded her why she was standing here at first place. Facing many criminals had taught her one thing, they loved it when the 'good guy' lost it. She needed to know where Jane was hidden, if he was safe or hurt. The wicked smile turned her even angrier.

"Where is Patrick!" Lisbon shouted, wanting nothing more but to plunge the damn knife in the witch's neck and end it. Nancy smiled cruelly and snapped her fingers.

"Right there."

A body appeared in the rain, lying on the ground, not so far from them. Without a second glance to Nancy, Lisbon ran towards it and kneeled. It was Jane all right, but pale, very pale. His eyes, usually full of life and sparkling, were empty and unresponsive. She hastily checked his pulse at his neck. The rain didn't help her in her quest, and his wet skin was so damn cold… Tears started to prickle in the corner of her eyes. She couldn't feel anything. Not a pulse, his chest wasn't moving.

Lisbon felt herself being torn into pieces. After so many years, he was her closest friend, recent lover... she couldn't even begin to describe how important Jane was to her, and… she had brought him here. No matter what anyone said, he followed _her_ there. She let him stay.. and that got him killed. The agent turned towards the madwoman.

"Why did you do that!" she screamed angrily, pointlessly, her voice wavering. "He had nothing to do with this!" she felt her own voice as it broke.

Nancy's face turned serious again, and she took a few steps forwards.

"I decided you'd suffer; sort of payback for what you put me through. But be grateful, I don't want to kill you right now. Although…" A wicked smile grew over her face. "I might make your death fast if you beg me to."

The agent's features turned icy cold with hate. She released Jane's hand, placing it over his chest gently, looking at his face for a second, and stood up slowly, not leaving Nancy out of her sight.

"Fuck you" she hissed, eyes narrowing. A loud thunderclap echoed in the background. "I'm going to kill you."

**-PW-**

The fight did not go as well as Lisbon thought. After her initial strike out of sheer fury, Nancy's superiority in the art of Craft was obvious. While she was busy solving cases and putting her past behind her, the gothic-dressed woman had time to perfect her techniques. Last time, they were both discovering the edges and abilities. Now, all Lisbon could rely on was instinct and the few tricks she had imprinted in her memory and body.

Nancy lunged towards her, dagger lifted high. A sense of déjà-vu invaded Lisbon, as she barely managed to duck this one. The witch still managed to catch a shoulder but the agent, with a move she had learned in her early years of training, made her wrist snap, almost breaking it. Once at a reasonable distance, Lisbon willed the lightening to hit the tiles of a nearby roof. They slipped off their place and started to fall on Nancy…

"Is that all you can do?"

To Teresa's horror, the tiles immediately busted into fire before they touched Nancy. The remaining ones, on the witch's order, were thrown at her with impressive speed. Lisbon had to duck behind another dumpster nearby and closed her eyes to catch her breath. Obviously, the usual magic tricks wouldn't work on Nancy. So time for a little more hand-to-hand practice. She melted in the wall once again and slipped into a puddle. Then she just waited…

When Nancy moved forwards to check behind the dumpster, stepping into the puddle, the agent threw out her hand and grasped the witch's leg and pulled it down to make her trip. Stormed out of the puddle and threw herself at her, straddling her lying form, ignoring the pain Nancy's spell was inflicting her by being so close, it didn't matter. She disarmed the wicked witch by throwing her dagger away and started punching her, screaming in anger. Again. And again. She wouldn't stop. Nancy scratched her cheek and threw her off with a wave of wind. Caught off guard by the use of magic after a physical attack, Lisbon got blasted against the closest wall and hit her head hard. She barely had the time to get up when Nancy was over her, her face bleeding, dagger back in hand, a devious grin over her face.

"Good-bye sweetie."

She raised her arm. Lisbon held her breath, ready to duck and then counter-attack…

_**BANG**_

Nancy winced and nearly dropped her weapon as she fell, kneeling, to the ground. A dark pool of red started to spread on the pavement. Behind them, shakily pointing a gun in their direction, Jane was leaning against the wall.

Alive.

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**One chapter left before the epilogue**** (promise, it won't take 3 months –or more- to update this time ^^")**

**Thank you for reading so far!**

**(A little review to light up my greyish day? :3)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I was intending to update earlier, I swear ^^" Just for info, I'll by flying to the US next Tuesday and I won't have much time to write or such. **

**Thanks to ****The HongKonger;**** PetitJ; wity; ****Above-and-Beyond 97 ****Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever; ****Chiisana Minako**** for their reviews. Thanks for the alerts and favourite too :3 **

**And thanks to my half-beta for reminding me I have ****a story update and checking this xD**

**Disclaimer: I only own my twisted imagination. Hope you'll enjoy this :) –won't blame you if you don't :3**

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**Payback's a Witch**

**11.**

_Nancy winced and nearly dropped her weapon as she fell, kneeling, to the ground. A dark pool of red started to spread on the pavement. Behind them, shakily pointing a gun in their direction, Jane was leaning against the wall._

_Alive._

**-PW-**

Nancy's hand grabbed her bleeding leg, swallowing hard to smother cries of pain and glared at Jane, who was still pointing the gun at her. The blond man was panting hard, extremely pale, but breathing. Lisbon almost let her attention slipped at the sight; a huge weight had just been relieved from her shoulder and she couldn't thank Manon enough for not taking him away from her; yet. Unless this was another of Nancy's tricks, but the agent was quite sure Jane was authentic this time. His body was no longer lying on the ground where she had been a few seconds prior and Rioli was left untouched.

"You're still alive?" the gothic woman asked in a very, very surprised and annoyed tone.

"Red John couldn't kill me after three days of torture" he replied with obvious pain in his voice. "I'm not going to let a witch get the upper hand, even less on Lisbon."

Another bullet dug its way in her arm. This time, Nancy screamed in pain before turning completely towards the blond man, fury deforming the features of her face. Lisbon took advantage of the momentary distraction to create a blast and direct it at her. The gothic woman crossed her arms to shield herself, but it was too late. The unexpected blow threw her against the opposite wall. Her face went white. A thin trickle of blood ran down her forehead and cheek, as a bigger stain grew over her chest. When Lisbon walked closer to her, ready to counter any attack, she realised why the woman had stopped moving. Her body was held straight by a tube hanging out of the wall, plunging in her body from behind in the middle of her back.

"Is she dead?"

Lisbon turned slightly backwards and realised Jane was standing next to her; or rather, leaning against the wall and trying to stand straight on his feet. His face was way paler than she had seen from afar but she forced herself to not concentrate on him right now, despite her urge to touch him, to feel he was really _there, _alive. The main priority was to make sure that Nancy could not harm them anymore.

"I think she is" she whispered, taking a closer look at the body. Nancy wasn't breathing anymore, and her eyes held the same dull light dead people usually had. "Yeah, I think she is."

Using Jane's help, she pushed the witch's body off the pipe and let it land on the ground. The large hole in her back indicated that the rusty thing had gone directly through her lungs.

"That's some death" the blond man shrugged, staring at the body. "Too bad she didn't suffer a bit more."

"She was a sad person Patrick" Lisbon said quietly. "She had a difficult environment as a child and witchcraft was the final straw."

The consultant leant back against the wall, staring someplace in front of him. When he spoke, his voice had considerably lowered.

"That doesn't excuse everything. My father… he wasn't the best of men. I still managed to grow out of it. Though I can't say our situations are very similar, she made her own choices and they lead her there. You just tried to minimize the collateral damage."

Lisbon smirked bitterly at the corpse, the old memories of her and the other two witches flashing in her mind for a second, before turning her attention back to the man. Her eyes took in the paleness of his skin and the tired eyes, the laboured breathing and obvious exhaustion in his eyes. Then, she followed the line of his arm and rested on the weapon.

"Where did you get that gun?" she asked.

"Max Winter. You remember, the man who got revenge on his wife's murderer by shooting him?" she nodded. "He gave me this one after he was released. I took it in my suitcase when we fled to LA and I figured you were in danger. Kept it in my vest the whole time. Your little friend there didn't realise I had it when she kidnapped me."

Lisbon's eyes narrowed. Right now, she didn't know whether she should be irritated, dubious on the fact he managed to pass the control with a weapon in his bag, or impressed by his unexpected gunman skills.

"Oh don't make a fuss about it" he protested, pouting. "I'm sure you're very glad I had it. We should go now don't you think?"

The agent nodded and kept staring at him.

"I couldn't feel your pulse." She whispered. Jane shrugged and looked back at her straight in the eyes.

"Maybe the rain, maybe the cold, maybe you were too upset to think straight, maybe I did die for a few seconds. Who knows? On my part, I'm just blissfully happy to be alive."

Lisbon laughed quietly, now reassured, before glancing at the two lying bodies. A dead one and an unconscious one. She sighed reluctantly.

"Wait, I need to take care of those two. You don't want the authorities to pin us for murderers, don't you?"

Jane chuckled heartlessly.

"Surprisingly I do agree. Who would ever believe a fake psychic and a cop defeated one of the maddest witches around?"

Lisbon shook her head at his attempt of humour.

"Just hide under something" she replied with a tight smile. "I've got some cleaning to do."

The blond man obeyed and sheltered himself under a large and solid roof near the wall. Lisbon breathed in deeply and turned toward Nancy.

"_From earth you came, to earth __you return. From earth you came, to earth you return." _

She continued the chant, until the ground under the dead body moved. The stones were pushed apart until dirt eventually appeared and swallowed the corpse. Then, closing her eyes, she willed the rain to fall harder to put out the remaining flamed tiles lying on the ground and wash the walls clean. The pavement came back to rest in place; no bloodstains were left on the buildings. The only traces of a recent fight were the blown-up pipe and the half decapitated roof –that could be blamed on the strong wind and big storm both she and Nancy had provoked tonight.

The witch lifted her head and sighed. The drops running over her face were soothing, reviving. As if Manon was blessing her in his own, unique way. This time, she vowed, she would keep her powers. Nancy had told her the bond she had laid upon her to turn her crazy had started to weaken when Rioli had came to find her. Perhaps it was due to the loss of it, and her strong desire to put everything behind. The mistake would not be repeated. She still had one thing left to be done. Rioli was stilly lying unconscious. The agent headed towards her, knelt next to her, and pushed away a few strands of hair covering her face. Those peaceful features reminded her Lirio, and a pang of guilt squeezed her heart. The teenager had great powers indeed, yet… Without thinking any longer, Lisbon stood up and started the formula she had once pronounced, twenty years ago.

"_I bound you Rioli…_"

The teenager shivered once and didn't move afterwards. Then, Lisbon pulled out her cell phone and dialled 911. Now that everything had been taken care of, Lisbon walked back to Jane. The blond man had watched the whole scene in complete silence, fascinated.

"You're okay?" the woman asked in worry. "Did she hurt you badly?"

Jane smiled at her before grimacing. His face grew even paler, and Lisbon had to catch him as he collapsed against the wall.

"I hope security will show up soon…"

And he passed out.

**-PW-**

A few weeks had passed since Lisbon and Jane had returned to Sacramento. The petite agent had gone back to work almost immediately to take Nancy and the recent events off her mind. Once the ambulance had been called, the police had showed up, looking for Rioli, for the murder of her grand-mother, FBI agents and the two others case-related. How she had killed all those people despite her young age, they were still wondering, but with the evidence they gathered, there was no doubt of her guilt. Lisbon was glad to let the teenager deal with her mistakes, minus powers. Later, she heard the girl had been interned for mental disorder.

She still had a very cold tell-off from Hightower upon her return, something about playing the avenger. Lisbon had a hard time not to wince at the very words that had been used by Nancy as well.

Jane had taken a few days, more to avoid her, she supposed. When he came back to work, he barely spoke to her, only in the interest of the case, and never remained alone in a close space with her. Even stopped going into her office. The team noticed the changes, but didn't try to confront them about it. Grace tried once to talk to Jane, but he evaded her inquiries with a smile.

After almost a month of great tension, the petite agent decided it was enough. They couldn't work decently in these conditions. _She_ couldn't work in these conditions anymore.

Granted, her powers were thankfully –and, in her mind, quite surprisingly- in control, so she didn't worry about them. She still managed to involuntarily make her neighbour's garbage can explode, one day he had pissed her off, but no other damages were done. Her only problem was, well, Jane.

She could work with him being scared, or reluctant to be around her, especially after what she put him through (or rather, after what he went though after deciding to follow her against her orders, once again); but no words had been exchanged, and the woman couldn't bear the silence anymore.

If only she knew what he thought of her, then she could put her mind at ease and move on.

**-PW-**

"Okay Jane, what's the deal?"

The blond man jumped in surprise and turned towards her. Lisbon had taken advantage of the fact he was alone in the kitchen to corner him and start the interrogation. Right now though, he was holding a cup of tea that had spilled all over his suit, and did not seem in the mood for an interview on his recent behaviour.

"Aww Lisbon, look at what you did" he complained, waving at the stain over his shirt. "Now I have to wash it."

"I don't give a damn Jane. You have been avoiding me for the last couple of weeks and I want to know why!" When he merely stared at her and didn't reply, she went on: "I mean, I can get it if you are scared of me or won't get close to me after" she lowered her voice "after what happened but still! I thought we were friends."

Jane smiled tightly and invited her with a nod to head to her office. Once there, he shut the door behind and stared at his shoes.

"I'm sorry Lisbon, I just needed time to think a few things over."

The petite woman stared at him in disbelief. Patrick Jane never took so long to think over things. Unless he was building a crazy scheme and make sure she would go along with it.

"Time? You wanted time?" she still managed to utter. "God, Jane I swear you could have just told me!"

"Try to understand" he replied, shrugging. "It's not everyday you discover your girlfriend's a witch."

Lisbon's face fell in horror. He said it. He said it out loud. She glanced around, fearing someone was standing nearby her office, trying to eavesdrop. That man really needed to be more discreet about some things.

"Can't you keep it down!" she hissed after making sure no-one was around. "It's… and since when I'm your girlfriend? Did I miss a meeting? Because I can't remember agreeing to go out with you."

"Don't worry, nobody's here. As for the girlfriend thing… Tsk tsk Teresa" the way he pronounced her name made her shiver involuntarily. "You shouldn't even ask. We have become very close lately. You are the only woman who will ever bear my insufferable persona, I'm the only one who doesn't fear your glares" Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him. "Plus" he went on cheerfully: "We have great chemistry and complement each other quite well. And the sex that night was awe…" at her warning glare, he quickly continued: "May I add we obviously share a great thing for psychopaths?"

"Seriously Jane" she cut dryly, not amused for a second.

The blond man's smile fell slightly.

"Seriously Teresa? This is easy. We are both tired of being alone and we are a good pair. I know you are the only woman I have ever been attracted to since Angela's death, and seriously? You are amazing and even if I don't deserve a new start I want to give us a shot; also because I know you care for me too."

The petite agent frowned at him, not knowing if she should feel embarrassed he spilled out her feelings like this or slap him hard for it. As for starting a relationship, she was certainly NOT against it, but there were still too many things that couldn't make them work.

"I have issues" she started, determined to… test him or discourage him, she didn't exactly know.

"That's barely a novelty my dear" he replied coolly. "I still have some too."

"I'm not normal" she went on, hoping he'd get the hint. Apparently he didn't.

"Neither am I."

"Jane, I'm a freaking…" she lowered her voice: "_witch_!"

"I know. I still bear the wound from your –our latest supernatural battle against your lovely psychotic friend. Teresa" he added on a tired tone. "This… thing, these powers you have; they are a part of you; just like your stubbornness, your kindness, your strength and everything part of your personality. You chose to keep them? I don't mind. I want _you_ and whatever you hide. I won't say it doesn't scare me -because it surely does- but this is still you. I trust you and I… I love you. I'm not giving up on you."

He was serious, she realised. She knew at the glint in his eyes he was dead serious. The last sparing was just a waste of time and energy. Lisbon eventually sighed in sign of giving in. Much to her surprise, the blond man grinned widely and stepped forwards to give her a bear hug. She didn't fight it and rested her head against his chest. If she was truthful to herself right now, then she would admit she felt… better. Being in his arms made her feel… safe. It was a weird thought, given _she_ was a cop, on top of that a witch and could easily take him down in a blink of the eye.

"I'm sorry for the past month" he apologised again, kissing her temple before holding her tighter. "I'm not leaving you out of my sight again."

"Not so fast" she groaned against his skin. "This is just a try."

Her response made him chuckle. He pulled back to kiss her lips gently and Lisbon knew, just at that moment, that he was in for the long run. Strangely… so was she.

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**Next chapter will be the epilogue, and I will move the story to the Crossover section. Should take little to update this time ^^"**

**Thank you for reading so far! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Last**** chapter**** here,**** sorry**** for**** the ****long ****wait**** ^^'' ****my**** beta ****and ****I****'****ve ****been**** busy**** lately**** :P**

**Thanks**** to ****MentalMeg911;**** Viviskilener-jisbonist4ever;**** wity;**** PetitJ;**** The****HongKonger; ****MK**(aww thanks :3 you should watch the movie, it's a great one xD); **1832TeaQL**** for ****their**** reviews**** :3**

**And ****thanks ****to ****my ****half-beta ****for ****checking**** this ****:3**

**Disclaimer: ****I ****only ****own m****y ****twisted ****imagination. ****Hope ****you****'****ll ****enjoy ****this ****:)**** – ****won****'****t ****blame ****you ****if**** you ****don****'****t ****;)**

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**Epilogue**

"Jane! Don't get too far!"

"Yes mom!" the blond man replied, looking around, curiosity getting the best of him. The recent murder of a journalist had occurred in a public park and he was scanning the environment, feeling that he would find something very interesting… The roots of the tree back there seemed a good place to start. The murder weapon –a small, sharp knife he thought- would certainly be buried there. The ground was damp because of the small pond behind it and thanks to the armada of mosquitoes no-one went there.

Lisbon rolled her eyes and kept her focus on the interrogation of nearby people. Since they had started their… relationship, Jane had become more controllable somehow. He listened more to her commands, perhaps by fear of being kicked out of her bed and sleep on the couch if he didn't, and didn't tease and annoy people as much. She could now count the amount of times he had been punched on her right hand and paperwork had stopped piling over her desk for a while (again, perhaps he got that the earlier she finished, the earlier he could have her for himself. Although, Jane being _Jane_, he was still annoying.

"Lisbon!" she heard him shout in the afar, waving at her. "I found something!"

She excused herself from the plump woman and headed towards her secret boyfriend. Hundreds of mosquitoes were buzzing around her head when she arrived.

"What is it?" _Bziiiiz_ was the little sound near her ear, and the woman gave herself twenty seconds before being bitten."What did you find Jane?" _Bziiiiz_"Damn" she muttered, feeling her skin itching by her neck.

"Can't you just wind them away or fry them with a lightening?" Jane asked, frowning. "I have given enough of my person to them already"

She could already see a few red buttons on the side of his neck and couldn't help the smile. While she had not used her powers in over twenty years, Lisbon didn't easily turn to them; sometimes even forgetting she had them back. Uncontrolled situations triggered them the first few weeks. She would accidentally fry the laundry with a lightening–and Jane swore he'd never let his suits in her hands again- or blast a suspect against the wall of the interrogation room when extremely pissed off. Thankfully, no-one aside from Jane had witnessed her outbursts, and she felt it was enough. When her powers provoked an extraordinary effect with Jane nearby, he would back off a few minutes before coming back, apologize for his behaviour and act like nothing had happened. Then, he started to laugh and tease her about them. And he even encouraged her to use them; but only sometimes and only specific powers. For some reason, he hated when she used telekinesis.

Back to present, Lisbon wasn't fond of being eaten alive by those nasty little creatures. She willed the wind to blow soft enough to chase them away. Jane grinned, satisfied and grateful, and handed her a small broken blade stuck between the edges of two fingers.

"I found this first part in here. Second part must be buried deeper. The forensics should dig here don't you think?"

Lisbon picked up the cutting edge and observed it attentively.

"There are dark stains here, but are you sure it's part of the murder weapon?"

"That's why I said forensics should dig around here" he replied good-naturedly. "I don't want to get my hands any dirtier, and with the mosquitoes gone now…" Lisbon shot him a warning glance, but he kept grinning. "Aw c'mon Lisbon, they'll be thrilled to work mosquito-less."

"You're just plain selfish Jane" she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Don't push your luck."

"What luck? The fact mosquitoes are nice enough to let us dig around?"

Lisbon grumbled something and turned around to head back to her team, annoyed now. A sudden draft blew through the park and hit the tree. An unstable branch cracked and fell. Over Jane. The blond man jumped out of its fall, tripping over his own feet. In the background, near the witnesses, Cho and Van Pelt glanced at each other and shared an amused smile.

"Damn!" he swore, glaring at Lisbon.

The wind could not be possibly natural. He knew, deep down, that the branch hadn't fallen on its own. The woman looked back at him with a perfectly innocent expression, before turning heels and allowing herself to smile. It wasn't the first time she used her powers to calm him, and it would definitively not be the last. She savoured the feeling of having the upper hand, even thought it will not take him long to get over his momentary humiliation.

Payback was just so good sometimes.

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**Thank you for reading so far, and see you in another fic :3**

**Let me know if you liked it! xD  
**


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